


The Childhood Tales of Hunter and Polly

by BreGee13



Series: Hunter and Company [2]
Category: Drawn to Life (Video Game)
Genre: Animal Attack, Curses, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Possession, Separations, Wilfre technically only shows up in a dream once but im tagging him anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-23 09:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 45,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30053049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreGee13/pseuds/BreGee13
Summary: Here is a collection of every Hunter and/or Polly related story that takes place when they're kids.Each story will be it's own chapter, as the stories are all connected.Hopefully one day I will finish all the kid stories I've been planning for years, and eventually move on to the other stories.Also, since these stories started being written as early as late 2017, the formatting and quality of each chapter will vary. I could fix them, but that requires work. You have been warned!Also also. Because Nixie didn't have a name at the time, the earliest chapters won't use her name. Okay that's all.
Relationships: OC/OC, Original Character/Original Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Hunter and Company [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2210742





	1. A Hunter in The Twilite Wood

It was a regular autumn day. The sun was shining on the chilled dirt, the leaves were just beginning to crisp and fall from the trees. Hunter and Polly were at home, having a quarrel.  
"Hunter you dumb Baki brain! This is the last straw!" Polly was chasing Hunter around the house.  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" They kept running until Hunter found himself trapped in a dead end. He panicked. He was holding a box of saltine crackers. "Uh..." He shook the box. "...You sure you don't wanna cracker?" He had a goofy grin on his face. As scared as he was, he couldn't help but always laugh at that joke. ...Even if it made Polly mad.  
"I'll kill you!" Polly tackled Hunter and pushed him up against the wall. "Gimme that dumb box!" Hunter held out the box as a sort of peace offering. Polly took the box and bopped it on Hunter's head.  
"Ow...." Hunter rubbed his head. Their dad walked into the room. "Dad! Polly's hitting me again!" Polly nudged Hunter on his side as a way of saying 'dude what the hell?'.  
"Polly, what did we say bout manhandling your brother?" Bob gave Polly a stern look.  
"But dad! He.."  
"Polly."  
She looked at the floor, embarrassed. "Not. To do it..."  
"See? You know better."  
"But dad! He did it again!"  
"That don't matter. You don't hurt nobody." He took the box from Polly. "Not unless they hurt you."  
Polly looked up at her dad. "Okay dad. ...I won't."  
Hunter smiled, relieved he wasn't in trouble. ...Or at least he was.  
"Hunter."  
Hunter jumped. "...Yeah?"  
"You know Polly don't like that."  
"...what?"  
"You know what." Bob held up the saltine box. Hunter lowered his head in shame. "Now apologize."  
"What!?"  
"Apologize." Bob turned to face Polly, who was trying to leave the room. "BOTH of you." The two siblings stood in silence. "...You two don't apologize right now, I'll get mom involved." Hunter and Polly's eyes widened. They glanced at each other, shocked. They knew that their mom would ground them, on top of a two hour lecture. They looked at their dad, hoping he was joking. Bob gave them a face that said 'I'm not joking'. After a few seconds, the two shook hands, mumbling sorry to one another.  
"Dat's better. I was worried for a sec there."  
Polly raised an eyebrow. "Worried? About us? What are you talking about!? You said we were the greatest kids in the world!"  
Bob let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, but I can't really have somebody help me out if they're grounded."  
Hunter looked away, ashamed by the earlier events. Polly however, was jumping up and down, eager to hear more. "Help? What kinda help? Can I help?!" Polly grinned from ear to ear.  
Bob reached in his pockets, and pulled out a piece of notebook paper. "I gotta bunch of orders from round town." The paper contained a list of orders from the villagers. It included a shed, new tables and chairs, some fences, as well as an entire house. "I'm gonna need twilightwood for all this."  
Hunter looked at his dad, slightly confused. "Twilightwood? Where do you find that?"  
Bob smiled. "Twilightwood is in the Twilite Wood!"  
Polly was also confused. "Sounds... redundant, but why not use the trees outside?"  
"Trust me. Ya can't just go cutting down all the trees round here. Twilight Trees are WAY taller than those ones. Besides, it's strong and is pretty to look at! ...Nice word by the way!"  
Polly smiled and curtsied. "Thanks! I try."  
Bob folded up the paper and put it back in his pocket. "Y'know, those trees grow so high that they scratch the stars!"  
Hunter's eyes filled with wonder. "Woah... That's cool!"  
Polly however, wasn't as impressed. "Yeah, that's kinda cool. It would be cooler if it was real though."  
"Oh but it is real. May not sound it, but it is!" their dad smiled.  
"How big are they to reach space like that?" Hunter asked.  
"Oh VERY big. A bit too big if ya ask me. Can't just chop one down and carry it back on my own." Bob looked at his son with a grin on his face. "Hunter, mind taking on this task with me?"  
Hunter looked around him, in disbelief. His dad never really asked him for this kind of assistance before. "Me?"  
"Yeah you! Cmon, I think you'd like it."  
Hunter smiled. "Uh.. alright!" He said with watery eyes.  
Polly shook her head, not believing her eyes. The father and son began to leave when Polly interrupted their departure. "Wait!! What about me!? Can't I come?" Hunter looked up at his dad with a look that said 'Well can she?'.  
"..." Bob frowned. "Sorry... no."  
Polly grew angry "Hey! Why not!? I can be just as helpful as you two Baki breaths!"  
"'Course you are sweetheart! ...But you can't come. You're too young."  
"That's the dumbest rule I ever heard! Ever!"  
Bob sighed. "A rule is a rule. ...But hey, I promise to take ya when you're older. Kay?"  
"Fiiiiiiine..." Polly crossed her arms, upset.  
"Mom'll be here to take care of ya while we're gone. ...Be good okay?"  
"Hmph..." The two finally walked out the front door. Not long after, Hunter stuck his head through the doorway.  
"Polly! You're the new rapo of the house! Take care of mom for us! Byyyye!!" Polly smiled as Hunter finally left the building.

Bob and Hunter arrived at the Forest Gate. Bob was pulling a wagon to carry the wood in. Hunter ran up to the giant gate and inspected the greenery growing on it. The gate was covered in moss and vines.  
"Hey Dad! How does this gate work?"  
"Magic of course!"  
"Wow.... ...Can I open it?"  
"Sure!"  
Hunter went up to front of the gate, and pulled it with all his might. After a few tries, he had to give up and catch his breath. Bob tried his best to not let Hunter see him laugh. After chuckling it out, Bob walked up to the gate and pushed it open. After a moment of awkward silence, the two laughed and walked in the gate.  
They exited the gate and stepped foot on the purple grass. Hunter looked around in awe of his surroundings. The grass was coated in a sparkling dew. It was as if the Creator themselves showered the ground in glitter. Luminous mushrooms grew around the trees. Hunter waked over to one and poked at it. "Weird…"  
Bob looked around the woods, trying to find the right tree. He finally spotted one and smiled. "Hunter! This way!" Hunter looked up and ran up to his dad, who was already at the tree. "This is the one alright! Ain't she a beaut?" Hunter looked up at the tree. It was so tall, that he couldn't tell when it ended. The sky was a collaboration of swirling paint strokes and sparkling stars. The twilightwood truly did touch the stars. Bob chuckled. "Told ya you'd like it. Cmon, we got work to do." Bob reached into the wagon, and pulled out an axe. "Hunter! Stand back will ya?!" Startled by the warning, Hunter jumped back from the tree. …But he wasn't quite far enough. "Farther! …Farther! ...Just a tad farther! ... Too far! Come back! ...That's good. Stay there!" Bob took in a deep breath, and began to chop away at the tree.  
After what seemed to be forever, the tree finally came crashing down. The two looked at the collapsed structure, both relieved that part of the ordeal was over. There was also a small sense of sadness in the air. The glorious tree was nothing more than a stump now. The Twilite Wood stood in a moment of silence while the two Raposa finished what they started.  
Hunter and his dad walked up to the tree, ready to cut it into smaller pieces. While Bob cut up most of the big sections, Hunter sawed off most of the branches. When the tree was cut up into more movable pieces, the two placed as much as they could into the wagon. "We'll get the rest on the way back." Bob pulled the wagon towards the gate. Hunter picked up an armful of the branches and followed. Once they got to the gate, they pushed the door open and walked through. Just as they were walking through however, a Timber Baki ran up to them and jumped on their wagon. They didn't notice at first, but they did once they arrived at the village.

Just as the two Raposa exited the Forest Gate, the baki jumped out of the wagon and ran toward the village. The Baki bumped into Hunter, making him drop the branches he was carrying. Bob stopped pulling the wagon, and ran up to Hunter.  
"You alright?!"  
Hunter was picking up the branches he dropped. "Yeah. I think so..."  
They watched the baki run through the trees toward Cricket's station. "Oh no... Hunter Cmon!" Bob ran up to the police station. Hunter placed the branches in the wagon and caught up with his dad. By the time they got close to the station, yelling and crashing sounds could be heard from outside. All of a sudden, the baki burst out of the building. As the baki ran past Bob and Hunter, Hunter noticed the baki was wearing Cricket's hat. Not long afterwards, Cricket burst out the door to chase the creature.  
"Freeze!! You are under arrest for trespassing and STEALING MY HAT!" Hunter couldn't help but chuckle to himself.  
The Timber Baki continued to run all the way to Cookie's restaurant. The three Raposa chased after the wild baki as fast as they could, but despite their efforts, the baki still got into the restaurant. "Not ze banya muffins!!! Zi will make a special out of you!!" The clashing of pots and pans could be heard from outside the restaurant. The baki dashed out of the restaurant, now with a frying pan on his head. "Zat was my lucky pan you Baki!! Get back here!!!" The four rapos ran after the baki. Hunter smiled out of laughter throughout the entire chase. Cricket, Cookie and Bob however, were extremely serious about capturing the wild enemy. Their seriousness only made Hunter laugh harder.  
The Timber Baki ran toward Isaac's shop. Before the baki could enter the shop, Isaac blocked the doorway. Attempting to scare off the creature, Isaac threw some of his items at the baki. He threw a snow globe, a dagger, a couple of books, and even a mayonnaise jar. The baki grew startled, and ran away from the shop. While Cookie, Cricket, Hunter and Bob continued to chase the baki, Isaac stayed at his shop so he could protect it.  
The baki then ran to the Banya farm. Farmer Brown was just inside his home when he saw the baki run into the banya field. "No!!" Brown grabbed his pitchfork, and ran outside. "You varmint! Get out dem dere banya!!" The baki pulled out one of the banya stalks, and bust his way through the field. "Get em!!" Brown, Bob, Cricket and Cookie chased after the baki in hopes of catching it. The four tripped over one another, resulting in the baki getting away with the banya stalk. Hunter, who was standing by farmer Brown's home, was laughing his lungs out.

The fallen Raposa got off the ground and brushed the dirt off their clothes. They looked at each other and laughed it off. Farmer Brown went into the field and found Cookie's frying pan. Cookie took the pan, and later went back into his restaurant to find Cricket's police hat. Bob walked up to his son, who was catching his breath from running around and laughing so hard.  
"You alright son?"  
Hunter nodded, smiling. "..Wha... What was that thing?"  
"THAT was a baki. Annoying ain't it?"  
"That was awesome! He tricked you and the entire town!"  
Bob was caught off guard by his son's excitement. "I uh..." He looked off in the distance, embarrassed that a stupid baki made him look like that. In front of his son no less.  
"Baki must be super smart if they can trick you dad!"  
Bob's eyes widened. 'He thinks I'm smart?' As much as he thought otherwise about himself, Bobbery felt touched. "Yeah... Must be…" he smiled to himself.  
"Where did the baki go to dad?"  
"Probably back home bud."  
"Our home!?"  
Bob laughed. "No no! HIS home. Not ours!"  
Hunter giggled. "That would be silly huh?"  
Bob smiled. "Yeah, it would. Cmon Hunter let's go."

The two went back to the wagon and brought it home. Once they unloaded the wood, they went back to twilite wood to collect the rest of it. "Hunter! Make sure there's no baki 'round this time!"  
"Alright dad!"  
Hunter guarded the area with his life. No baki could get past him. With no baki in sight, the two left through the gate and went back home.

Back at the house, it was getting late. As soon as the two entered the doorway, Polly ran up to them.  
"About time! What took you so long!?!" Polly hugged her dad, happy he returned.  
Bob gave a faint smile. "Glad to see ya too."  
Hunter grew slightly jealous. "Hey! What about me?"  
"...You're cool too, baki breath."  
Hunter smiled. "Thanks!"  
Polly gave him a confused look. '...did he just THANK me? ...He must have a screw loose or something.' Just then, their mom walked into the room with a cup of tea in her hands. Polly faced towards her. "Moooom! Dad and Hunter came home late! Can I ground them?"  
Their mom sipped at her tea, tired. She sighed, "No Polly. You cannot ground your brother and father."  
"Why noooot? They deserve it!"  
Bob shook head and chuckled. "Who made you Rapo of the house, missy?"  
Hunter jumped awake. 'Uh oh... I did...' His eyes darted around the room. 'Please please PLEASE don't tell!'  
Polly glanced at Hunter. "...Nobody." Hunter let out a sigh of relief.  
Bob smiled. "Ya know what I do deserve? A nice cup of coffee." He walked over to the small kitchen, and prepared a cup. "Ya guys want anythin?"  
Polly was jumping up and down. "Cocoa please!" She ran up to the kitchen table and plopped down in her chair.  
Hunter sat next to his sister. "Hot Chocolate sounds good." Bob prepared the hot cocoa and his coffee, and sat down with the rest of the family. As they drank their drinks, the Raposa carried on about their day.

By the time they finished their drinks, they could barely keep their eyes open.  
Bob yawned, "Alright... Time for bed..."  
Polly sprung up in her chair. "What?! I'm not *yawn* tired..."  
Bob chuckled. "Come on..." He got up and pulled out her chair. "Ya know the way." Polly got up and jumped into her bed. Bob then put his attention to Hunter, who was half asleep. "That goes for you too bud!" Hunter suddenly jumped awake. After a quick stretch, he got up and went to bed. After a few minutes, their parents turned off the lights and went to bed themselves.

As soon as she knew her parents were asleep, Polly walked up to Hunter's bed and woke him up.  
"Hunter. Hunter! Wake up!"  
Hunter rubbed his eyes. He groaned, "Polly, what? I'm tired".  
Polly let out a small yawn. As tired as she was, she had to know.  
"...What did I miss out on?"  
"W-what?"  
"You know. With dad?"  
"...Oh. Yeah."  
"...So what happened?"  
Hunter smiled. "It was so cool. ...Yknow, the grass there is so soft... you can just sleep on the ground no problem..."  
Polly giggled. 'Of course he'd like that.' But Hunter wasn't finished.  
"And the trees! The trees! They're so pretty... And tall! Very tall."  
Polly shook her head. "They can't be as tall as what dad said though."  
"But they are! They ACTUALLY reach the stars!"  
"There's no way. Dad just made that up."  
"He didn't. I saw it with my eyes. ...I wish you were there to see it."  
Polly crossed her arms. It seemed that she wanted to cry. "Me too...."  
"...Hey, you'll see it someday! Those trees aren't going anywhere."  
"Too young... What kind of excuse is that? I'm a capable woman!"  
"Polly, you're four."  
"Almost five! ...Hunter, why didn't dad want me to join you? Does he not love me anymore?"  
"Of course he does. He felt awful about leaving you here."  
"He said that?"  
"No. But I could tell. ...If anything, you're his favorite."  
"Doubt it. Dad always wanted your attention."  
"He said that?"  
"No... But I know it's true."  
After a moment of awkward silence, the two began to laugh. When their laughter died down a bit, Polly continued the conversation.  
"Dad can be such a baki you know?"  
Hunter smiled. "Yeah. He can be pretty smart."  
Polly gave Hunter a confused look. "Smart? You... do know what a baki is, right?"  
"Sure I do! Why you ask?"  
"Hunter. Everyone knows that Baki are stupid."  
"But they're not! I saw one! He ran out the gate and nabbed a banya! AND he made dad and the rest of the town go after him in this wild...*uh* ...Baki chase!"  
"The entire town? By that you mean...?"  
Hunter counted on his fingers. "Me, Dad, Cookie, Cricket, Brown, and I think Isaac got involved too."  
"Aw... That's not the whole town! You lied to me!"  
"Guess not, but you gotta admit. It's still funny."

Polly giggled at the thought of five grown men chasing down a small baki. "Guess so!"  
"He even tricked them into tripping over each other! It looked like a stack of banya pancakes!"  
Polly smiled. "A rapo stack? Sounds delicious."  
Hunter chuckled. "And the baki? He got away with it!"  
"There's no way a dumb baki could do all that."  
"No, but a smart one can! And this one was a genius."  
Polly laughed. "Hunter, you baki!"  
Hunter grinned. "Thank you!"  
Polly shook her head with a smile on her face "Goodnight baki breath."  
"Night sis."  
Polly walked back to her bed. "Hunter? ...Thank you."  
Hunter only responded with a smile. The two Raposa then covered up and fell back asleep.


	2. Sneaking to The Twilite Wood

It was a month after Hunter was introduced to the twilite wood. Ever since that day, he couldn't help but think about the mystical place. He couldn't figure out why, but he desperately wanted to return to the Twilite Wood. Hunter waited and waited for an opportunity, but it never came. He felt like he had no choice but to create his own opportunity.

One day Hunter got out of bed, nervous about the day ahead of him. He walked over to the kitchen table where his family was waiting for him. It seemed that they were already finished with their breakfast. His dad looked up at him.  
"Well look who's awake! See Polly? Told ya he was alive."  
"I don't know dad. He looks more like a zombie to me."  
Hunter sat down at the table, tired from a sleepless night. He then began to eat the banya muffin that was waiting for him.  
Polly impatiently tapped her fingers on the table. "Can I go play now?"  
Bob shook his head no. "Not without your brother ya can't."  
Polly groaned and crossed her arms. "Finish your stupid muffin already."  
Their mother got up from her chair. "Polly! Watch your mouth! ..You don't want to spend your entire day inside, do you?"   
"Hmmph..."  
"I thought not."  
Hunter hurried up and finished eating his breakfast.  
Polly jumped out of her chair. "Can we go play NOW?" Her mom raised an eyebrow at her. "...MAY we go play now? ...Please?"  
Her mom smiled. "Of course you may! Be careful you two!"  
Hunter got up and followed Polly out the front door. "We will mom!"

Hunter stepped outside and shut the door. "Alright sis! What's the plan?"  
Polly smirked. "Hunter, we're gonna fly off the roof of the house! It's going to be awesome!"  
Hunter's eyes grew wide. This is NOT something he signed up for. Luckily for him, their mom could be heard from outside the house.  
"NO. NO. NO. THERE IS NO WAY I WILL LET EITHER OF YOU TWO KILL YOURSELVES. IF YOU TWO DON'T COME UP WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT I WILL BRING YOU TWO BACK IN HERE AND NEVER LET YOU OUT OF MY SIGHT. UNDERSTAND?"  
Hunter let out a sigh of a relief. "Yes mom! Don't worry mom!"  
Polly however, was disappointed. She had planned this in her head for a while now. "Now what are gonna do?"  
Hunter looked in the direction of the Forest Gate. A smirk crawled on his face. He finally found the opportunity he was looking for. "...How about good old Hide and Seek? That's kinda fun! ...and safe..."  
"Hide n Seek? That's not very thrilling! ...But I guess it's better than nothing. Hide n Seek it is!" Polly then began to walk away.  
Hunter grew confused. "Wait. Polly! Where are you going!?"  
"To find more players! It's way too easy to find you!"  
"Oh coo- HEY!"

Polly and Hunter gathered some of their friends and met up at the center of the village.  
"Who's gonna be it?"  
"Yeah, who?"  
Hunter cleared his throat. "How about Polly?"  
The kids looked at each other. "Polly? Nah. She's too good."  
Polly snapped, "TOO good? How can a rapo be TOO good?! I'll be it!" Polly grinned proudly. "Heck! I'll even give you EXTRA time! How about that?"  
Hunter looked at the Forest Gate's direction. Whatever she's planning to count to isn't going to be long enough. "One hundred."  
"What!?"  
"Cmon Polly, at least give us a hundred!" Their friends smiled in approval.  
"Agghh I hate waiting!"  
"Might as well count while you wait!"  
"Fine..." Polly covered her eyes. "One... Two... Three..." The kids scattered in different directions, unsure of where to hide. But Hunter knew exactly where he would go. He ran as fast as he could towards the Forest Gate. By the time he got there, he had to quickly catch his breath. Hunter looked up at the magical gate. He really missed this place. Hunter looked around to see if anyone was nearby. Surprisingly, nobody was around to spot him. He pushed the gate open and walked inside.

Hunter stepped onto the sparkling purple grass of the Twilite Wood. He missed the softness under his feet. He looked up at the glittery sky, still in disbelief that the trees were that tall. Hunter took a deep breath, and began to wander the woods.

After a while, Hunter spotted a stump in the middle of the forest. It looked out of place among the tall trees. As Hunter got closer to the stump, it began to look familiar. He looked around his surroundings and sure enough, this was the stump of the very tree his dad chopped down. "No way..." Hunter's eyes began to water a little. "You..." He looked up at the surrounding trees. "...You used to be like them." He looked back down at the stump. "You didn't deserve this..." Hunter sighed. "I'm sorry." He sat down next to the stump, and began to twiddle his thumbs. "..."

All of a sudden, there was a rustling sound. Hunter jumped a bit at the sound. "Hello...?" The rustling became louder and louder. What or whoever it was was getting close. "...W-who are you?" The rustling grew louder. Hunter was getting a little scared. Either this was an evil monster that was going to eat him, or he's about to get in big trouble. "I'm sorry! I won't be here long!" The rustling was even louder. "Go away!" Hunter began to hyperventilate. "L...leave me alone!" The rustling was really loud now. Hunter was scared speechless. He covered his eyes, hoping the nightmare would end. The rustling finally subsided. Was it really over? Hunter uncovered his eyes and looked up. Right before him stood a wild Baki with a leaf on its head. Hunter began to laugh to himself. There wasn't any danger at all! But that Baki tricked him into thinking there was. 'There's only one Baki I know that's that smart...' Hunter grinned. "Hey!" The Baki jumped, and ran away through the trees. "Wait, where you going?!" Hunter got off the ground and ran after the baki. "Come back here!" He zigzagged his way through the woods, chasing after the baki. Eventually the baki ran to a small clearing. The baki continued to run until it came across a ledge lined with bushes. The baki hopped on top of the bushes and jumped off the ledge. Hunter tried to stop the baki from jumping, but he wasn't quick enough. Hunter looked down from the ledge to see the baki glide safely to the ground. 'Wait.. How did he do that!? ...Was that leaf part of his head or something?' He then took a look at his surroundings. This place would make a nice hideout of sorts. There's plenty of room, and it's very well hidden! What else does this place have to offer? Hunter looked back down the ledge. The view was pretty nice. A good amount of baki and other creatures can be seen from here. The ledge isn't actually that high up, so each baki that passes by can be seen somewhat close and personal. That, and the bushes provided a sense of camouflage. No baki could detect Hunter from here. Hunter laughed, excited by his amazing find. Though he wouldn't have found it on his own.... He looked over the ledge, hoping to spot the baki genius. "Where'd he go now?" Hunter looked and looked until he finally found the baki looking back at him. Hunter was a bit startled by the baki staring back at him. "Uh... Hey there!" He extended his arm out to pet the baki. The baki jumped and ran away from Hunter's hand. Hunter retracted his hand and watched him run away. "...Thank you." He looked up at the swirling sky and smiled. His eyes grew heavy from the little sleep he had the night before. Hunter laid down on the grass and began to rest his eyes.

Hunter opened his eyes again and stared at the sky. It looked the same as it always did, yet it was constantly swirling around and changing. Hunter felt so relaxed that he didn't want to get up. 'What if I just stay here forever? Is that so bad? It's not like I have something important to do...' Hunter was about to go back asleep when he had a sudden realization. He DID have something to do. Hunter quickly sat up. "How long was I here!?" He stood up and looked around. He had no idea where the gate was. Each tree looked the same as each other. Hunter grew worried. If he wasn't in trouble already, he will be. He looked for a sign of the way out. After a long amount of pondering, Hunter finally had an idea. He looked at some of the trees that surrounded him. Their branches looked snapped. The grass and leaves on the ground looked trampled on. This must've been where he came from! Hunter followed the pathway until he found the stump. 'Hey! That really worked!' He looked around some more. There wasn't any obvious pathways he could see, so he had to think back a bit. Hunter tried to remember which way he and his dad went from the gate to the tree. After a while, he finally had a rough idea of where to go. On his way to the gate, Hunter took some fallen sticks and twigs to leave road marks. After what seemed to be forever, Hunter found the Forest Gate. He let out a sigh of relief and walked up to it. He briefly looked back at the Twilite Wood, and went though the gate.

Hunter stepped foot back in the village. He looked up at the sky. "Oh no..." The sky was starting to get dark. 'How long was I gone for?'  
Hunter could hear his sister call out for him.  
"Hunter where are you!?" 'I should've just gave up and thrown a search party....'  
"I'm righ-!" 'Wait a minute. We were playing hide and seek! She must be trying to get you out of your hiding spot!' Hunter looked around and hid behind some nearby trees.  
Polly walked close to where Hunter was hiding. "I know you're around here! I heard you!" 'Ugh... He's doing way better than usual. ...He must be cheating somehow.'  
Hunter chuckled. He never was good at hiding. Knowing he had Polly baffled astonished him. ...But he did feel bad for leaving everyone hanging for what seemed to be hours. So he did everything he could to make his location obvious.  
Polly heard a rustling in the nearby trees. 'Aha! It's about time you've shown yourself!' She poked her head through the branches and found Hunter. "Found you!"  
Hunter smirked. "You got me." He stepped out of his hiding spot. '...How long was she searching for? She looks exhausted...' "...Where is everybody?"  
Polly sighed. "They went home. ...After I found them all of course!"  
"I bet it didn't take long to find em huh?"  
"Not long at all!" 'Speaking of taking forever to find....' Polly glared at Hunter.  
'Why is she looking at me like that? ...Oh.' Hunter looked at the ground, ashamed.  
"How did you do that!?" 'There's no way he didn't cheat'  
Hunter nervously smiled. "...I'm just really good!" He lied.  
"No you're not! You weren't that good last time! You cheated!"  
"I did not!" 'Yes I did.'  
"I don't know how you cheat at hide n seek, but you cheated!"  
'By not even being there. That's how.' "I didn't cheat!"  
"Well how did you get so good all of a sudden?"  
"You see.. I was always this good! I just didn't show it." 'I was and always will be terrible at hiding...'  
'Oh really?' "You were going easy on me that whole time? Why didn't you tell me!?"  
"I uhh..." 'Oh rapo... what did I do?'  
"I finally have a challenging opponent! We should play hide and seek more often!"  
Hunter took a quick glance at the Forest Gate. Maybe this could work.... "Yeah... We should!"  
"Just one thing. Don't hold back."  
"Only if you won't!" '...I should limit my time in there from now on. I don't wanna see her push herself too hard like this.'  
"It's a deal then!" 'Let's see how this plays out...' The two shook hands, binding their deal.  
"When are we doing this again?"  
"How about tomorrow?"  
"Nah. We need a day to prepare. The day after?"  
"Sounds good! Come on Hunter, let's go home."  
"Glad to."

The two siblings walked home together. They both had gained something to look forward to.  
They entered the house and were greeted by their mother. "Thank The Creator! You are okay!" She ran up to Hunter and squeezed him in her arms.  
"Of course I'm okay Mom." 'I can barely breath...'  
She let go of him. "I'm sorry. You were gone for so long... Polly couldn't tell me where you were..." She had tears in her eyes. "Don't ever make me worry like that ever again."  
Hunter hugged her. "I won't mom."


	3. Hide and Sneak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aka my least favorite chapter lol

Hunter did what he could to prepare for the next day. He dug through the entire house and found a pocket watch. Polly snuck up behind him. "What the rapo is THAT for?"  
"Hey, gotta time you somehow!" He lied. He needed it to time himself.  
"Why can't I time myself!? I'm trustworthy, aren't I?" Hunter laughed. If she was in charge of timing herself, she'd probably cheat. Polly gave him the stink eye. "And YOU wouldn't cheat?"  
Hunter shook his head. He would never do such a thing. ...She did have a point though. "Alright fine! Do you have any good ideas?"  
"How about..." Polly took the watch from Hunter. "...if I'm not timed... at all?"  
Hunter's eyes widened. There's no way this could work without that watch. "Wha?" He quickly took back the watch. "D-don't you want to measure your progress?"  
"Progress?"  
"Y-yeah! ...Don't you wanna show off your skills?"  
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? EVERYONE KNOWS I'M THE BEST!"  
"Uhh... But now you can get proof of it!"  
"They don't need proof to know I'm a good seeker!"  
"Well uh... They need proof that... uh... you can find ME!"  
"No they don't. Everyone knows you're easy to find!"  
"...Not anymore!" He lied.  
"And who's gonna believe that?" That's true, saying Hunter became a hide and seek master overnight is pretty ridiculous. But maybe...  
"Maybe if people saw it, they'd believe it!"  
Polly paused to consider the thought. "Yeah... Yeah! That could work! It'd take time, but yeah!" Hunter grinned. It looks like he actually came up with a decent idea for once! Polly rushed her way out the door. "I'll go see if anyone wants to join in!" As soon as she showed up, Polly left.

Hunter looked down at the pocket watch in his hands. 'What have i got myself into? Now I have to be extremely careful...' The ticking of the watch soothed Hunter's ears. He took a deep breath and sighed. 'The Twilite Wood... It'll make everything worth it. I know it.'  
He continued to search the house. It wasn't long until he found a pen and notebook. Hunter picked up the notebook. It looked completely untouched. No scribbles, no wrinkles, nothing. 'Is this dad's?' He looked to see if anyone was around. He didn't want to take it, but.... 'I could really use this... Besides, dad can get another one.' Hunter put the notebook and pocket watch under his pillow for safe keeping.  
He sat down on his bed and thought if that was all he needed. Well, it pretty much was. But was it everything he wanted? ...No. No it wasn't. But what more could Hunter want? 'Well, a chair would be nice...' Okay, a chair. That can't be too hard, right? 'And a shovel and pail! To dig stuff up!' Okay, there's already a shovel and pail for the beach. Who's to say it can't work with dirt? 'And some food! And toys! And the entire house!' Okay, now Hunter was getting a bit ahead of himself. Hunter stopped himself from getting too carried away, and tried to think. 'When I go to the wood, what will I need to enjoy my visit?' He looked at his surroundings and thought. 'Standing up all the time would be a pain... And there's no way I'll let myself fall aslee... I mean rest my eyes again. A chair would be more than helpful. ...But how am I doing this?'  
He searched the house for an extra chair nobody would care about. There's no way he could take one from the dining table, everyone would notice. As he searched around, Hunter came across some of the items his dad made for the villagers. 'Maybe I shouldn't be in here...' Despite protesting against it, Hunter searched through the workshop for a chair he could use. He finally found what he was looking for and thought about what to do next. 'Now what? I can't just wait to take it there... I'll have to take it now. ...in broad daylight. ...Maybe this was a bad idea... Dad worked real hard on this...' Hunter looked out the window at the forest gate's direction. Nobody seemed to be around. He looked at the stool in front of him. '...He won't miss one, right?' Hunter took the stool out the front door.

Taking a deep breath, Hunter moved towards the Forest Gate. On his way there, he constantly stopped to look around. If anyone caught him taking this stool to the Forest Gate, it's game over. Hunter had to be extra careful. He walked close to the trees just in case he needed to hide. Out of the corner of his eye, Hunter saw a flicker of motion. He looked at the direction the movement came from, and saw Polly. Luckily for him, she didn't seem to notice him.  
Panicked, Hunter haphazardly hid the chair within the trees. Polly, hearing the rustling of branches, turned around to find Hunter standing there.  
"Hunter? What are you doing here?"  
Hunter did what he could to not look back at the stool and give himself away. "...Oh! Just getting ready for tomorrow!"  
Polly could tell he was hiding something. "You're not going to hide there are you?"  
Hunter nervously smiled. "...I can't say!"  
Polly raised an eyebrow. 'What is he hiding to act this weird?'  
Hunter nervously laughed. "So... What are you doing here?"  
"I was finding rapos to help seek. That's what I was doing!"  
"Oh! ..Did you find a lot?"  
"... Not really." Polly asked plenty of people, but nobody wanted to join them.  
Hunter laughed. 'So much for being a good seeker!'  
Polly grew angry at the smirk on Hunter's face. "Hey! I know what you're thinking! Stop it!"  
Hunter's smile disappeared. "...sorry."  
Hunter then noticed something in Polly's hand.  
"What's that?"  
"Hmm? Oh!" Polly raised her arm and opened her fist to reveal a pocket watch. "I got a timer of my own now!" She spun the watch by it's chain. "Took a while, but NOW it'll be fair."  
Hunter looked at the watch. It looked a little familiar to him, but he wasn't sure why. 'It doesn't look like mine, so why is it so familiar?' "Cool! ...Where'd you get it?"  
Polly jumped a little. She didn't get permission to borrow the watch. She just... took it. '...I mean, Hunter stole HIS watch. How is he any better? I mean, I'll take it back. ...Sooner or later.' She tried to stand as straight as she could. "I found it on the ground! Fair and square!"  
Hunter could hear her voice shake a little. A small part of him wanted to know more, but he ended up shrugging it off. 'Maybe she's just nervous? Oh well, none of my business. ...Besides, I got other things to worry about.' "Nice!" An awkward silence put a stop of to their conversion. Hunter began to fidget in place. He really wanted to get this over with. "...I gotta go... Uh..."  
"...Scope out the village?"  
"Yeah! That!"  
"Good luck tomorrow!"  
"You too!" The two began to go their separate ways.

Hunter slowly walked away from the scene. He kept his eye on where he hid the stool, but kept walking. He had to make sure Polly wasn't looking when he went back for it. As soon as he thought the coast was clear, he made a dash for the line of trees where the chair was hiding.

Polly went on her way back home. She didn't have any other plans, and wanted to take a break before the next day. She just hoped her parents weren't back home yet. After all, there's no way she wanted them to know about the watch she borrowed. Once she had gotten close to the house, she saw her parents close by talking to the mayor. Polly quickly backed away and hid from the grown Raposa. She overheard them speak.  
"...I'm so sorry we couldn't help ya Mayor. I ain't got an idea of where it may be."  
"Oh ho ho... It's fine. It's just so strange. One minute it's there, the other it disappears."  
"Perhaps that Zsasha fellow took it?"  
"Nah, no way. Not in broad daylight."  
"I'll have to keep looking. Maybe Mari took it. She can be so mischievous for such a young girl."  
"We promise to look out for it sir."  
Polly looked at the watch in her hand and sighed. She couldn't bear to face them after what she did. She snuck away as fast as she could, squeezing the watch to silence it. She didn't have anything to do, so she began to wander the village. Besides, maybe she'll find Hunter's hiding spot.

Not wanting to get caught again, Hunter kept moving through the trees, out of sight. The Forest Gate felt so far away, yet he was almost there. He slowly crept out of the trees, dragging the stool along with him. He looked up at the gate, and pushed it open.  
Once he entered the Twilite Wood, he set down the stool and stretched. After a moment of taking in his surroundings, Hunter picked the stool back up, and carried it to his new hideout.

Polly walked all over the village, looking for any place a rapo could use to hide. 'If I can remember all these spots, I'll find him for sure!' When she looked just about everywhere, she went on her way back home. On her way there, Polly heard a strange creaking sound. The sound came from the Forest Gate's direction. She squeezed the pocket watch and decided to check it out. When she got there, no rapo could be found. She walked up to the gate and inspected it. 'Somebody just used it. Nobody's here, so they must've went in. Better not be Hunter. If he's hiding outside town, I'm going to kick his butt!' She put her hand on the gate. 'I'll catch that cheater if it's the last thing I do!' She was just about to open the door, when she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Polly stood frozen in place. Her parents would never allow her to enter a warp gate. That, and she was still holding the stolen pocket watch. Her hands began to sweat. Whoever this was, they're going to get her in serious trouble. It took everything she could to turn around and greet this mystery raposa. Right behind her stood Hunter. 'Hunter!? But I thought... How is he here!?!'  
Hunter smiled. "What are you doing?"  
Polly was shocked. "N-nothing! Just checking out the gate!"  
Hunter looked up at the gate. "...Pretty, isn't it?"  
"Yup! A real wonder."  
"...You weren't thinking of entering it, were you?"  
Polly jumped a little. "Oh no! No! I wasn't going to do that!"  
"That's good! I was scared I had to tell mom!" Hunter laughed. "Cmon! Let's go home!" Polly looked back at the gate, and followed her brother home.

As the two walked home, Hunter smiled out of relief. 'Thank Creator that's over with. That was really close. I can't believe I pulled that off... And I thought I would be the one to be caught off guard. Good thing I hid just before she showed up. If I didn't, it would've ruined everything. *sigh* That short trip wasn't close to being long enough. I hope all this struggle is worth it. ...Why do I feel like it will be?'


	4. Finding The Hunter

Throughout the year, Hunter continued to sneak to the Twilite Wood. Each time he'd sneak some snacks and toys along with him. When hanging out at the woods, he'd relax by taking in his surroundings. When he wasn't doing that, Hunter would take notes on the baki he saw and sketch them. As much as he enjoyed being with his friends and family, being alone in the Twilite Wood felt natural to Hunter. As soon as he enters the place, he can't help but feel a weight lifted off of his shoulders.  
At first, each time Hunter wanted to return to the woods, he had to play hide and seek with Polly. Eventually, he wanted to visit so often, that having to play hide and seek each time made no sense. Besides, with how often he asked to play hide and seek, Polly was getting suspicious of him. Hunter eventually stopped asking and began to sneak off without warning.

One day, Polly was playing musical chairs with some of her friends. Hunter was there as well, but he was one of the first rapos out. Once he was knocked out, he declared that he was going to grab a quick snack and that he would be back soon. Distracted by the game, none of them noticed that Hunter went missing. Well, not until the game was over.  
"That was so fun!"  
"Yeah! Can we do it again?"  
"Nah, I'm not up for it."  
"Congrats on winning!"  
"Ah thanks!"  
Polly crossed her arms. "No fair! I wanted to win!"

A couple of the raposa rolled their eyes at her.  
"Rude."  
"Too bad!! So sad!!"  
"Boo. Hoo."  
Polly became frustrated, causing her face to turn red. "Humph!" As much as she wanted to stare them down, she did her best to avoid eye contact. She knew that if she looked at them too much, she would just end up embarrassing herself even more.  
Others were a bit kinder to her.  
"Nobody's perfect."  
"You did a bunch better than I could!"  
A smile crawled on Polly's face. She suddenly felt a bit better. "Thank you!" Polly looked at her friends. She felt better, but now she felt uncomfortable. She just acted like a rude little brat, and she couldn't figure out what to say next. She looked for her brother. Maybe he can comfort her somehow. Polly scanned the crowd of kids. Hunter wasn't anywhere to be found. 'Weird. He was here a moment ago...' She began to walk around and search for him. 'Maybe I just missed him?'  
The other kids stared at her, confused. "What are you doin?"  
Polly looked frantically around. 'Where did he go!?' She finally realized that they were talking to her. "Uhh..." She finally pushed her feelings to the side and asked. "Did any of you see Hunter?"  
"Hunter?"  
"No, I don't see 'em."  
"Nope."  
"Sorry!"  
Polly sighed. "Where'd he go then?!"   
The kids looked at each other and shrugged.  
"Don't look at us! We don't know!"  
"Last I saw him, he said he was getting a snack or something."  
Polly smirked. Maybe he's back at home somewhere. "Thanks you guys! See you later!"  
"Bye!"  
"Good luck finding him!"

Polly dashed back home to see if she could find Hunter there. She walked in through the front door and began to look around. Polly began her search with the beds. She looked under Hunter's, and when she didn't find anything, she dragged off the covers to see if he was hiding there.  
"Polly! What are you doing?!"  
Polly turned around. She didn't realise her parents were there. "Oh... Hi mom. Hi dad."  
Her mother had her arms crossed. "Polly! You know better than to just make a mess like this! This isn't even your bed!"  
"But mom! I gotta look for..."  
"Whatever you lost, it is not my problem. Now fix this bed young lady!"   
Polly grumpily went to fix her brother's bed.   
"Wait." Her father walked up to the bed. "I'll help."   
Her mom stopped him in his tracks. "Bobby..." She spoke quietly so Polly wouldn't hear. "You're being too soft with her. ...You have to let her do it herself."   
Bob thought to himself for a second, and whispered back. "Listen Nixie, ya know I can't do that to her… Besides, I gotta idea." He walked over to the other side of the bed. "Hey, ya mind tossing me the other end o that?"  
Polly looked at the blanket in her hands and handed him the other end. "What were you and mom talking about?"  
"Nothin, nothin." The two continued to fix the bed. "So. What were ya lookin for under here?"  
Polly shrugged. "Nothing really..."  
"Nothin? Ya did this for nothin? That don't make sense. You musta had some reason."  
"…Did you see Hunter at all dad?"  
"Oh, you're playin seek n hide again?"  
"It's 'hide and seek' dad."  
"I knew that..." They finished. "He popped in a while ago. Nabbed a banya muffin and left."  
"Where did he go?"  
"I dunno! Thought he would rejoin ya. But guess not."  
Polly looked at her mom. "Mom, do you know?"  
She looked worried. "I... honestly thought the same thing as your father."  
Polly then began to realize that Hunter was ACTUALLY missing. "Uh... oh."  
"Somethin wrong?"  
"Uh, Nothing! Just thought you knew where to look. Haha… I'll go see if I can seek him! Such a good hider! Haha..." Polly nervously crept out of the house to search for Hunter.  
The two parents watched Polly leave the house, confused.  
Nixie covered her mouth with her hand. "My poor baby..."  
Bob tried to comfort her. "Nix.. Relax. They're just playin around. She'll find em."  
Her eyes were watery. "You don't get it. I didn't even know where my baby was. I don't deserve to be a mother..."  
"Don't! You! Say that! Listen Nixie... My beautiful... beautiful Nixie. You are the best thing to happen on me... And I know you're the best thing to happen to those kids." He grabbed her close and kissed her.  
Nixie blushed a little. She wasn't expecting him to do that. "Bobby..."  
"Come on Nix. They're just playin. She'll find him."  
"But I have this feeling that they're not playing. Didn't you see her? She looked distraught!"  
"I think she's just upset she's losin."  
"No. It wasn't that. She was a different kind of upset."  
"...What kind?"   
"I don't know! All I know is that it's the kind that makes me sick with worry."  
"You're overreactin. Everything will be fine."  
"I hope you're right." She gently kissed him on the lips.  
"Heh... Me too."

Polly searched everywhere she could in a short amount of time. "Hunter!" She began to shout for him. "Hunter where are you?!" But he wasn't anywhere to be found. "Stop hiding you dumb baki!!" Polly was getting really worried. Hunter would never just vanish like this. 'Something is wrong. There must be.' Eventually, Polly began to loose hope in finding him. 'What happened to him? It's like he was erased or something.' She was almost ready to give up and cry when she heard whistling. She followed the sound, and sure enough, there was Hunter nearby the Forest Gate whistling to himself. He seemed to be very happy. 'Pretty happy for someone who went missing!'

Polly marched right up to him. "Where were you!?!"  
Hunter jumped. He didn't notice she was there. 'Oh no. How am I getting away with this one!?' "Wha... What are you talking about!?"  
"Don't play stupid! You went and decided to disappear on me!"  
"No I didn't!"  
"Yes you did! You said you'd be back, but NO!! You disappeared off the earth! I thought you were dead or something!"  
"Uh.. I'm sorry."  
"Where were you!?"  
"Haha..."  
Polly looked behind him at the Forest Gate. "...You were in THERE weren't you?!"  
"No! No! I was just... wandering... around..."  
Polly gave Hunter a look that said 'Really?'.  
Hunter's heart was pounding. He knew he couldn't keep up the charade. He had to tell SOMEONE about it. He took a quick look around to see if the coast was clear. "Okay... I was. I was in the Twilite Wood."  
Polly cheered. "I knew it! I knew it!"  
Hunter tried to quiet her. "Not so loud!"  
"Oh! That's right! You don't want anyone to know." Hunter nodded. Polly looked at the gate. She never been through any of the warp gates before, and she always wanted to know what it was like. "...So! Can I join you?"  
Hunter jumped. "W... what?"  
"Come on Hunter! I wanna go with you! Pleeeeeeeeaase!!!"  
Hunter was overwhelmed. He only wanted to be by himself during his visits. Bringing in his little sister would ruin it. 'I don't wanna let her down... But I don't have a choice.' "No."  
"...No? Why no!?"  
"I... I just want to be alone. That's all."  
Polly's heart broke a little. "...Okay. ...I understand."  
Hunter was relieved. 'Phew... She's taking this really well.'  
Polly felt both sad and angry at the same time, but did what she could to hide it. 'That baki! That dumb, dumb, baki!! You're so dumb you don't even know how dumb you are!!! When I need you you just decide to disappear! You did nothing but let me down all day! You... I know just how to get back at you...'  
Hunter looked at the mischief in Polly's face. 'Oh no...'  
Polly turned away from him. "...You know what? Mom was really worried about you."  
"…"  
"She didn't know where you were. ...I think she'll feel much better once she knows exactly where you were!"  
Hunter's eyes widened. 'If mom finds out... I'll never get to go back ever again. I know it.'  
Polly began to walk off. Smirking. "Well see you later!"  
Hunter ran after her and stopped her. "No! Don't! I'll get in trouble!"  
Polly's smirk didn't wear off. "So? You deserve it." She tried to walk away, but was stopped by Hunter again.  
"I won't be able to go back again!!!"  
"Yeah. I know."  
"Polly! Please!"  
"Hunter stop it! I'm telling mom whether you like it or not!"  
Hunter had tears in his eyes. Polly tried to leave once more, but was again stopped by Hunter. He grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. "Please... Please! You don't understand! There's something special about that place! I can't explain it.... I... I feel good when I'm there. When I get there I just stop caring Polly! When I'm there, everything is good and magical! It's the place I go to be me and... get away. I... I'm sorry. But I can't let that go! You don't understand... I just can't Polly!" He began to cry. "I won't.... You can't.... Please..."  
Polly's ears drooped. She felt bad. She didn't know how important this was to him. She looked at Hunter, whose face was facing low to the ground. She couldn't see him like this. She looked at the forest gate. "You're right. I don't understand at all. ...But I wanna."  
Hunter looked up at her. His face was a mess. "I know you wanna see it... But I can't...."  
"Come on Hunter. Just once! I just wanna see it once! ...Please?"  
Hunter finally let go of her. 'She really does wanna see it. ...Maybe if she does, I'll have someone who understands.... I mean it's only one time. Besides. She needs to see this.' Hunter gave a weak smile. "Okay."  
Polly was overjoyed to hear this. She gave him a big hug. "Thank you! Thank you!"  
Hunter hugged her back. "...You're welcome." They let go of each other and went home.

Polly opened the front door. "I'm back! And look who I brought!"  
Hunter stepped in the house. "Hi mom. Hey dad."  
Nixie rushed over to him. "Thank goodness you're alright!"  
Bob followed behind her. "See, I told ya you were overreactin. Hunter, you're alright right?"  
Hunter nodded. "Yes sir."  
"See? He's fine!"  
Nixie gently pushed Bob aside and looked at Hunter's face. "...Where were you?"  
Hunter's ears perked. "Uh... I was hiding... Right around that way. I wanted to ...uh spook you guys."  
"Well that isn't nice!"  
"Uh.. I know. I'm sorry. I learned my lesson I swear!"  
Bob shook his head. "*sigh* I forgive ya boy. I'm sure your mother forgives ya too. Don't ya Nix?"  
Nixie wasn't listening to him. She was too busy looking at Hunter's face. "...Are you alright?"  
"Uh.. Of course mom!"  
"Are you sure? Your eyes are red. ...Were you crying?"  
Hunter was shocked. 'How did she know that...' He blushed. "No! No! I... You're seeing things!"  
"...Well if you say so."  
Hunter felt embarrassed. 'Boys don't cry.... Only girls cry! Why am I so stupid? ...I can't stay here. I can't.' "Come on Polly, let's go tell the others I'm alright."  
Polly was surprised. They didn't plan to go back to their friends. "Oh! Alight then. ...We'll be back soon!"

The two left the house and wandered off to find their friends. Polly looked at Hunter, who was rubbing his eyes.  
"So what was all that about?"  
"Hmm? N...nothing really."  
"...Oh."  
"..."  
"...So. When are you taking me?"  
"I dunno. I haven't had time to figure it out."  
"...How about right now? I mean it's still light out!"  
"No. Way too soon."  
"Tomorrow?"  
"Nah. I need a short break from it..."  
"Oh okay. How about your next trip? Whenever it is!"  
"...I think I wanna go one more time on my own first."  
"Why?"  
"I dunno. I just... I mean... I'm feeling tired. That's all."  
"...Oh. ...Let me know when you're ready, will you?"  
"Don't worry. I will." The two smiled and went to catch up with their friends.


	5. The Break

Hunter felt the world on his shoulders. Now that Polly knew his secret, he couldn't go a single day without worrying that she will spill the beans. In fact he grew so stressed, that worrying was all he did. He could barely enjoy time with his family and friends, and he had trouble sleeping at night. He wanted his break from the Twilite Wood to be longer, but he just couldn't take it anymore. Hunter needed a chance to calm down and relax. The Twilite Wood was calling him and he couldn't help but answer.

It was a rainy day at the Raposa Village. Bob was out delivering furniture to one his clients, and Nixie was out shopping. Polly was setting the table while Hunter stared out the window, eager to go back to the Forest Gate.  
"Hey Hunter! Do you wanna have tea with me?"  
"Nah... I'm not in the mood..."  
Polly set down the tea cup in her hand. "Aw come on Hunter! You never wanna have tea with me!"  
"I'm sure dad will when he gets back."  
"I know... But..."  
"...But what?"  
"Butt? I... I didn't say 'butt'!"  
"Huh. Could've sworn you said 'but'." Hunter put on a jacket and opened the door.  
Polly raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"  
"Out. Where do you think I'm going?"  
"...Oh yeah."  
"Tell mom and dad I went to a friend's house or something."  
"Okay I will. ...Are you sure you don't wanna have tea?"  
"...I'm good. Maybe later."  
"Oh. ...See ya."  
"See ya." Hunter walked outside and closed the door behind him.  
Polly sat down at the table and looked down at the cup in her hand. "He'll be back. Eventually." She took a sip of her tea and looked at the empty seats around her. She sighed. "I hope mom and dad get back soon."

Hunter walked through the rain towards the Forest Gate. He didn't even check to see if anyone saw him. He just kept on walking.

He went through the gate, into the Twilite Wood. Hunter looked up at the sky. The sky swirled around in it's usual unusual way. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't raining at all. "How did I guess that?" He took a deep breath and walked through the secret pathway. The leaves crinkled as he walked. It wasn't too long until Hunter came across a familiar road mark. He walked up to the giant stump. It had glowing mushrooms growing all around it. "Hey bud. How's it going?" He patted the stump for luck and moved on.

Once he got to his hideout, Hunter opened his arms and fell forward into the soft grass. "Ow." The grass was soft, but as for the dirt underneath? Not so much. "That was bad idea." He got off the ground and brushed off the dirt. He sat down onto his chair, and looked over the bushes. He sighed. "Nothing..." He picked up his notebook and looked through it. It was pretty worn, and was nearly filled with doodles and notes.  
"Let's see what I got." He continued to search through his notes. "... Oh... I remember this guy." The page had a doodle of a squirrel looking creature riding a dandelion seed. The drawing depicted the creature with tiny eyes, and pointy teeth. Underneath it were the words 'Flying Nut Rat'. If there was anything bad about the Twilite Wood, it was this thing. One time Hunter went deep into the woods to explore, when he entered the territory of one of those creatures. One minute he was collecting acorns off the ground, the other has was being bombarded with them. Hunter shivered at the memory and quickly turned the page.

The next page made him smile. This page had a sketch of a baki with a leaf on his head. The baki had what appeared to be rays of light around it. Underneath it were the words 'Leaf Baki (the smartest one)'. The page after it had notes on the baki's appearance and how it acted. It also told of the mysterious baki that first led Hunter here. Hunter thought many times what to name this baki, but he could never think of a good name. Besides, the baki might've already had a name for all he knew. "Yeah, I can't just call him George. He doesn't deserve that." Hunter looked up at the trees. Their purple leaves glistened in the starlight. "...Why did they show me this place? He's smart, he must've had a reason..." He closed the notebook. "Whatever it is, thanks." He put the notebook back in its place and looked at the swirling clouds.

"It's always the same here... Always weird.... Always in the same place... Always just me... It's cool." He frowned. "Can... can I say something? ...Next time is... gonna be different. My sis... you haven't met her yet... She really wants to see you. I want her to see you too. ...But I'm scared."  
He began to fidget with his fingers. "I... I know it's dumb.. But I don't want this to change. I know it's only once but what if something happens? What if she changes her mind and wants to join ALL the time? I won't be alone anymore.... Don't get me wrong! Polly's awesome... But I just wanna be on my own..."  
He began to tear up. "I...I don't want her to ruin it..."  
He sniffed. "And what if she tells? ...I don't know what they'd think.... But I know mom would be mad... She'd... she'd never let me outside again... I would never.... Never get to come back..."  
He put his face in his hands and cried. "I'll miss this... I will... I'll never enjoy this again... will I?"  
He lifted his head from his hands. The tears in his eyes blurred the trees and the sky into a combination of color. "What's wrong with me... I can't even think about this without crying like a little baby!"  
He wiped his eyes in frustration. Hunter's face was red. "I... Im sorry..."  
He gently laid down on the grass and looked up at the sky. "I'm so dumb... I can't even control myself..."  
The soft grass rubbed against him. It was as if the Twilite Wood was trying to tell him that everything will be alright.  
"...How do you know? You can't see the future, can you? ...Oh. Right. Everything turns out here... How'd I forget that." He sighed. "I don't want to lose this. I really don't."  
The colorful sky comforted him, saying that he would never lose this place.  
"...Thanks. Sorry for being a complete baby earlier... I..."  
A leaf fell on his mouth, shushing him.  
"Pfffhph!" He picked the leaf out of his mouth. It did not taste good. He got up and spat on the ground. "Hey! What was that for?"  
A slight breeze drifted by. It actually felt nice and soothing.  
Hunter sighed. "I have to go soon... But I don't wanna..." He smiled. "I'll be back soon. Be nice to my sister okay?"  
Hunter waved goodbye to his hideout and walked through his secret pathway back to the gate.

Back at the village, Polly was home alone. She tapped her fingers on the table waiting for someone... ANYONE to show up. "Ugghh... This is killing meeeee....." She glared at the door. "What is wrong with you people!? Who leaves their kid unattended like this?!"  
She got up from her seat and looked out the window. "You'd think this rain would make them hurry up!" She sighed. "Now what am I going to do?"  
She looked around the house. Nothing seemed to be interesting enough. The entire house just felt dark and gloomy.  
Polly looked at the bookshelf by her parent's bed. 'Maybe I can learn something and impress everyone?' "Let's see... 'Beach House Monthly', 'The Baki and the Banya', 'The Indigo Number', 'Of Baki and Rapos', ....'How to Sew: For Beginners and Experts'?" She pulled the book from it's shelf. "When did mom get this?" She sat down on their bed and began to look through it. "...I bet I can do this. Looks easy enough."

She continued to look through the book when she heard the door open. It was her mom. She had a basket of food and an armful of books and knickknacks.  
"It is so cold out there!"  
Polly set the book down and ran up to her. "Mom!!" She hugged her mom. "I missed you!"  
Nixie smiled. "I missed you too. ...Just let me set these down." She set her things on the dining table. "Where's your brother?"  
"Brother? I don't have a brother."  
"...Oh really?"  
"Yup. I'm an only child. It's a shame. A brother would be nice."  
"Polly, where is he?"  
"He's at a friend's place."  
"He left without my permission?"  
'...Uh oh.' "He said he'd be back soon!"  
"That young man will be hearing from me when he gets back." Nixie picked up the books she bought and placed them on the bookshelf. "I found these books at Isaac's. He has quite the variety." She noticed the book on her bed. "Oh! What is this?"  
"A book."  
Nixie shook her head. "'How to Sew'?"  
"It caught my eye. Where'd you get it mom?"  
"Isaac's I believe. I thought I could learn in my free time." She sat down on her bed and flipped through the book. "I even bought needles and yarn."  
"Really?"  
Nixie nodded. She went under the bed and pulled out a metal tin.  
"Wow. You weren't kidding."  
"I never had the time and patience, so I never really got started."  
"Oh. ...Can I try it?"  
"...You have to be kidding."  
Polly shook her head. "No. Why would I be?"  
"Honey... I don't know if you would enjoy this. If I'm not patient enough, surely you wouldn't be."  
"Sure I'd like it! Doesn't this face look patient enough? Come on mom! Let me try! Pleeeeeease?"  
"...Oh alright."  
"Yes!"  
"Just be careful alright? The needles are very sharp."  
"I will!"

Hunter walked out of the gate and was immediately greeted with rain. 'Ugh... I forgot about that.' He ran home as fast as he could.

Hunter ran up to the front door, eager to get out of the rain. He took a deep breath and entered the house. Everyone was home at last. "Hey."  
Nixie crossed her arms. "Hunter!"  
"W.. What?" 'Please please PLEASE don't tell me she told!'  
"You went to one of your friend's houses without our permission!?"  
"I... I'm sorry." 'That was close...'  
"You left your sister all alone! Who knows how she feels?"  
Hunter looked at Polly, who simply shrugged in response. 'Hey. Maybe I'll ditch YOU next time. Maybe YOU'LL see how it feels.'  
Hunter was soaking wet from the rain. "I... I'm sorry Polly. I... a....Achoo!"  
"Bless you!" Nixie shook her head and sighed. "You poor baby... must have caught a cold from the rain. This is what happens when you don't listen to me."  
Polly raised an eyebrow. "A cold? ...In the rain? I thought that was just a myth."  
Nixie ignored Polly's comment and put her hand on Hunter's forehead. "...You're just a little warm. I'll go get you some hot tea."  
Hunter wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Thanks mom, but I'm fine."  
Bob backed him up. "He's right Nix. He looks alright to me. No need to fuss."  
"Nonsense! Of course I need to! Here you are sweetie. Come and sit at the table."  
Hunter sat at the table and drank the hot tea in front of him. 'Wow this is hot. I think my tongue got burnt.'  
Nixie sat down next to him. "Better?"  
Hunter swallowed some of the boiling tea. 'HOT.' "...Yeah mom. I'm fine."  
"Oh good! I was worried for a moment!"  
Hunter blew on his tea, hoping to cool it down.  
"...You scare me sometimes Hunter. I don't feel like you're close with me anymore."  
Hunter looked down into his cup. "…"  
"I never know what happens in your head, and that haunts me."  
Hunter began to blush. "..."  
"Hunter please look at me."  
"..."  
"Look at me."  
Hunter looked up at his mom. "Yeah mom?"  
"...Stay safe. I love you too much for something bad to happen to you."  
Hunter gave a faint smile. "I love you too mom."


	6. Trouble in Twilite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where things get more serious.

The sky was dark. The Raposa Village was asleep. And no baki dared to disturb the silence. Polly couldn't sleep. The thought of finally escaping the village kept her awake. Her parents still were in their bed, and there was no hint of sunshine in the house. Hunter was hugging his pillow, dreaming away. Well, until someone tried to wake him up. Polly quietly got out of bed and walked over to him.  
"Hunter." There wasn't a response. She poked him. "Hunter." He began to shift a little. She tried to shake him awake. "Hunter!" Hunter grumbled and squeezed his pillow tighter. "Hunter! Get! Up!"  
He opened his eyes. He seemed grumpy. "What?" 'I was enjoying that dream!'  
"Shh!!"  
Hunter rolled his eyes. 'Out of all people to tell me to be quiet.' "Sorry..."  
Polly began to jump up and down. "When are we going!?"  
"Go...ing? Oh yeah. That. ...I don't know."  
"Come oooon Hunter! I wanna see it!"  
Hunter's head began to ache. "Soon."  
"Soon?" Polly began to get excited. "...Does that mean what I think it does?!"  
"Yeah. Sure. Just let me sleep first."  
Polly squealed in excitement. "Thank you! When are we..." Hunter fell back asleep. He snored a little. Polly put her hands on her hips. "Hey! I didn't get to finish!" She sighed and went back to bed.

The next day, Polly was standing at the door jumping up and down. "Huuunteeerr! Come oooon!!! Let's go already!"  
Hunter was rummaging through the kitchen. "Hang on a sec!" He grabbed a plate and began to pile cookies on top of it.  
Nixie walked in on him. "What on earth are you doing?! Get your paws out of that jar!"  
"But mom, we're hungry!"  
"That is no excuse to take the whole jar! Here. Take these Kori fruits instead."  
She poured the cookies back into the jar, and replaced them with Kori fruit. "There. Much better."  
Hunter looked at the plate. He liked Kori fruit, but he really wanted cookies. "Thanks... Mom." He began to walk away, slowly.  
Nixie began to feel bad. 'Bobby wouldn't let this happen... Oh, who am I kidding?' "Alright. I'll let you have a couple."  
Hunter turned around with a smile on his face. "Really!?"  
She nodded and placed two cookies on the plate. "There. A nice couple."  
Polly walked up behind them. "Hey! Give us more!"  
Nixie shook her head. "One for each of you is enough."  
"Fiiine. We'll be back soon!" Hunter and Polly darted towards the door when their mother interrupted them.  
"Where are you two off to?"  
Hunter's throat felt like it was stuck. "Uh... We're gonna play hide and seek!"  
Polly gave hunter a quick glare. 'Seriously? Hide and seek? THAT of all things is your excuse? …I'm never going see this place am I?'  
Nixie was shocked. The last time they claimed to be playing hide and seek, Hunter went missing and came back in tears. And with the shadow beginning to crawl into the village, she already had a good reason to worry. She was almost positive they weren't playing around, but she just couldn't prove it. "...Oh. Alright. Just be careful okay?"  
"Oh. Okay mom."  
"And please. Do not go up north! It's dangerous up there!"  
"We'll be fine mom! We'll stay close by!"  
Nixie let out a small sigh. "Thank you. Make sure you two come back in time for supper!"  
"We will!" The two exited the building and went on their merry way.

Hunter and Polly walked to the Forest Gate, still in shock that they were even able to get out of the house.  
"How did THAT work?"  
"I dunno! It always does!"  
They approached the gate.  
"How does this thing even work?"  
Hunter smiled. "Magic!"  
"There's no way."  
Hunter pushed open the door. The gate revealed a white glow. The magical light glistened on the grass and danced in the air. "How about now?"  
"...Okay that's pretty cool!"  
"Told you!"  
"So... Um... What do I have to do?"  
"Just take a deep breath, and think about where you want to go."  
"Okay. I'll try." She deep breath and thought really hard.  
"No! No! Don't think that hard! Just relax."  
She nodded. 'Okay, okay. Relax... I think I can do this.' She took another deep breath and walked through the gate. Hunter quickly followed.

The gate opened to the lush purple forest known as the Twilite Wood. Polly looked up. "Woah." The trees didn't seem to have an end to them. They just kept going upward towards the swirling sky. "You weren't kidding about this."  
Hunter smiled. "Come on. There's more to see."  
"Wait. That's not it?"  
"Nope!" Hunter revealed a secret pathway.  
"A... Path?"  
Hunter nodded. "Made it myself!"  
"Looks messy. Are you sure we won't get lost?"  
Hunter nervously laughed. "Hey, I never got lost in here!" 'Except for that one time or two...' "Just follow me okay?"  
"Just because you're older doesn't mean I have to follow you around!" She looked around. As beautiful as this place was, she did not want to get lost in it. "...But okay fine. …Just don't hold my hand."  
"That's fair. Come on. This way." Hunter continued to follow the path, making sure Polly was never too far behind.  
Not long into their walk, the two Raposa came across a stump. It was a little thicker than the surrounding trees, and had mushrooms and sprouts growing around it. Hunter approached the stump. He knew this stump since the very beginning. "Hey. I'm back again." He poked one of the mushrooms growing at the stump's base. "I brought someone. Polly, this is the stump."  
Polly approached the stump. '...Is he? Talking to a stump?' "Uh... Hi."  
"...Oh right! Uh...Remember when dad had to cut down that tree a year ago?"  
Polly thought for a second. 'You mean that time he took you here and not me?' "Sounds familiar."  
"Well, this is it."  
"Really?"  
Hunter nodded. "Yeah." He patted the stump and backed away from it. "...Its for good luck." He was about to move on when he remembered something. "...You wanna try?"  
Polly looked at the stump and quickly tapped it. She smiled and caught up with Hunter. "Where are we going now?"  
"Only the best place in the entire world! Come on!" Polly followed Hunter through the trees, eager to see what he was talking about.  
It took a little longer, but they finally arrived at a small clearing in the forest. Hunter took a deep breath and sighed. "It's so good to be back..." Polly followed Hunter into the clearing and looked around.  
"Woah..." The tiny clearing was relatively empty. It only had a handful of toys and a single wooden stool. "Hunter, what is this place?"  
Hunter smiled. "Welcome to the hideout."  
"...What do you do in a hideout?"  
"Whatever I feel like!" Hunter took one of the fruit off the plate he was carrying and ate it. "Want any?"  
"Sure..." Polly looked at the plate and grabbed one of the two cookies on the plate.  
Hunter set the plate down on the stool. "Oh! Check this out!" He ran up to a line of bushes and sat in front of them. "Polly, come on!"  
Polly took a bite out of her cookie, and walked over to Hunter. "What is it?"  
"Look over these bushes."  
"What?!"  
"Just do it!"  
Polly peered over the bushes. "Woah."  
The view was amazing. The sparkling sky was much easier to see from here. It looked like someone swirled a bunch of paint and sprinkled glitter on top of it. Below, there was another clearing. This one was much more narrow than Hunter's. On this lower level, a few enemies walked around. Most of them were baki.  
"This view is so cool!"  
Hunter smiled. "I thought you'd like it! I know I do."  
"This place has everything!"  
"That's what I thought!"  
Polly finished her cookie. "Hey Hunter, do you got any water?"  
"...Oh! Uh...yeah! I do! At least I think I do... Hang on a sec." Hunter got up and went through the nearby trees. After a minute, he came back with a jug. "Tada! Water!"  
Polly was shocked. "Where did you even GET that?"  
Hunter plopped the jug on the ground. It seemed the jug was a little heavy for him. "Nearby river."  
"That's gross! There could be Baki dung in it."  
"It's not gross! It's water!" Hunter picked the jug back up and gulped some of the water from it. "You want any?"  
Polly was a little disgusted. "I... I'm good."  
"Are you sure?"  
Polly nodded. "Trust me. I am NOT putting my mouth on that."  
Hunter put the jug back down and shrugged. "Suit yourself." He sat back down next to Polly. "Oh Polly! Check this out!" Hunter reached into the bushes and pulled out a notebook. It was beaten and worn on the cover.  
"A worn old book? What's so exciting about that?"  
Hunter grinned. "This. This is my journal."  
Polly giggled. "Oh! So you're letting me see your diary?"  
Hunter's face blushed a little out of embarrassment. "What? No! That's not what this is!"  
Polly chuckled some more. "I'm just kidding!" '...Partially.' "Come ooooon Hunter! Let me see!"  
"Alright! But don't expect mushy gushy diary stuff." He opened the notebook and showed Polly. "See? No mushy stuff!"  
Polly took the notebook from Hunter's hands and began to page through it. The notebook had seen better days. The pages were bent, worn and dirt covered. Hunter was right. The book wasn't a diary at all. Instead, it had a bunch of notes on creatures Hunter had come across in the Twilite Wood. The notes were very detailed and even contained a few stories. On top of this, each creature had a drawing next to the notes. The drawings were pretty bad, but anyone could still sense the heart that was put into them. One of the drawings had sharp pointy teeth.  
"…Flying Nut Rat?"  
"Oh yeah... Bad experience. ...Don't ask."  
She continued to page through the notebook. "...Leaf Baki?"  
"The smartest one!"  
Polly shook her head. "Hunter, come on! Baki aren't smart! Baki are Baki! I know that you know that."  
Hunter shook his head back at her. "Are you kidding? That was the baki that tricked the town! Heck, that baki showed me this place! They're smarter than you think!"  
"Pfff! Yeah right."  
Hunter flipped the page until it revealed a Baki riding a star. "Tell me they're dumb now!" Hunter crossed his arms and smirked, confident in his opinion.  
Polly however, wasn't buying it. "There's no way that's even possible." Polly then looked up from the notebook and saw a baki riding a shooting star right past them. "What the?! How!!?? That was so cool!!"  
"The smartest baki!"  
Polly elbowed Hunter and laughed. Hunter smiled and began to laugh too.  
Just as Hunter was laughing, he began to realise something. 'Uh oh...' He kinda had to use the bathroom. Normally when this happened he would just get up and go in the woods nearby. However, this time Hunter wasn't alone. This time his little sister was with him. 'I can't just go in front of her!! And I can't just leave her alone here!! ...I could try holding it, but that doesn't sound good either.' Not sure what to do, Hunter silently debated what action he should take.

Polly didn't notice Hunter being lost in thought, as she was still looking through the notebook. "This is impressive. ...Very impressive."  
"Huh? Oh uh... Thanks."  
"It's a shame there isn't more here."  
"Y...Yeah." Hunter really did want more in his journal, but he just couldn't find anything new to write about. "...Maybe you can find something I can write about?"  
"Like what?"  
"I dunno. Something."  
Polly looked over the bushes to see if she could find anything noteworthy. "...I don't see anything."  
Hunter sighed. 'Ah man... I was kinda hoping for a distraction...'  
Polly then jumped all of a sudden. "Woah! Wait a second!! What is that!?!?"  
Hunter quickly peered over the bushes.  
In front of them was a weird rabbit-like creature with long ears. It didn't seem to notice them.  
Hunter's jaw dropped. "I don't know... I never saw that before..." He reached for his notebook and a nearby pencil. He opened it up to a blank page and began to draw the creature. "Polly! Make sure it doesn't leave your sight!"  
"Got it!" Polly jumped up at stared at the creature.  
The creature heard Polly's movement and turned towards her. It's face looked like someone sewed it on to the creature. However, it still had a real mouth. Polly smiled at the creature. "Aww.... It's so cute! Look Hunter! They're smiling at me!"  
Hunter squirmed in place, not looking up from his notebook. "That's nice Polly." 'Rapo, this is really starting to feel distracting...' Hunter finished the doodle and began to jot down notes on the creature. "What else?"  
The creature hopped a little closer to Polly. "Aw... It hops around!" Polly looked into the creature's eyes. Like the rest of it's face, it looked like they were sewn on with purple string. In fact, aside from the mouth, the creature looked exactly like a doll. "Aw... It looks like one of my toys back home!" As Polly was staring at the creature's eyes, the creature looked back into hers. After making eye contact, the creature's eyes shimmered. It caused Polly to enter a trance. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even think. The creature continued to hop even closer to her.  
Hunter was still looking down at his notebook. His hand shook as he made marks on the paper. Hunter couldn't even focus anymore. 'Rapo, why didn't I go before we left?! ...Probably because it's not what I usually do. Ugh, I guess I should get up and go, huh?' Hunter put the notebook away and got up off the ground. "Uh... Polly? I gotta... go... do something real quick. I'll be right back!"  
He was about to leave, but something didn't seem right. Polly didn't respond to him at all.  
"Polly? Did you hear me?"  
No response.  
"Polly?"

All of a sudden, the creature jumped up over the bushes and attacked Polly with its long helicopter ears.  
"Polly!!!" Hunter stood frozen in fear. He shook in his skin. He didn't know what to do. It took everything Hunter could to move his legs and back away from the scene. He rushed into the woods and snapped one of branches off of the trees. Holding the branch like a spear, Hunter rushed back into the hideout. He ran towards the creature, screaming at the top of his lungs. "AAAAA!!! GET AWAY FROM HER!!" The creature scared him so much, that Hunter couldn't even look at it. He began to flail the branch at the evil creature with his eyes closed.  
It wasn't long until Hunter finally succeeded in hitting the creature. After letting out a cry of pain, the creature fled as far away from the Raposa as possible.  
Still holding the branch, Hunter slowly opened his eyes. "Is.... Is it gone?" Hunter gasped for air as he looked around. It was gone. Despite the area now being safe, Hunter's heart was still pounding in his chest. He looked down to see his sister unconscious on the ground. "Polly... Polly!"  
She didn't respond.  
"Polly get up!!"  
She didn't get up.  
"If you're pranking me, this isn't funny!"  
Polly didn't say anything.  
"POLLY ANSWER ME!!!" Hunter's eyes were tearing up.  
"…"  
He fell to his knees and began to cry. "Polly... Please... Don't do this to me..."  
Polly wasn't moving at all.  
"I'm sorry... I knew this was a bad idea... I KNEW IT. *sniff* ...I should've protected you.... But I didn't..." Hunter couldn't even see through his eyes anymore. "Polly... Don't leave me... Please..." He put his face in his hands. "Creator... please don't take Polly away... she... she's the best friend I've ever had... she doesn't deserve this... please Creator... please........" He couldn't even speak anymore. All Hunter could do was sob. He thought Polly was gone forever, and he couldn't help but to blame himself. 'Polly... What am I going to do without Polly? What will Mom and Dad do without her? This... this isn't real. It can't be....'

After what seemed to be forever, Polly began to wake up. "Ugh... what happened?" She sat up and rubbed her head. She looked around her surroundings to see Hunter buried in his hands. "...Hunter?"  
He didn't hear her.  
"Hunter!"  
Hunter ignored her. 'Oh rapo... Now I'm hearing her...'  
"Hunter!!"  
'Her voice is mad at me! She's a ghost, I knew it!'  
"Hunter! What is wrong with you!?"  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!! I didn't mean it to happen! Please forgive me! I'm sorry!"  
"...Forgive you? What the rapo are you talking about!?"  
"I'm sorry... I..." Hunter lifted his head from his hands. His eyes were filled with tears. It took him a while to realize what was happening. "P... Polly?"  
"Who else would it be?"  
Hunter hugged her and continued to cry. "Polly!! You're okay!"  
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"  
"...Don't you remember?"  
Polly shook her head no. "...All I can think of is that thing."  
Hunter shivered at the thought of the rabbit creature. "Th... 'THAT thing?!'"  
"Yeah. It was kinda cute wasn't it?"  
"C..cute?"  
"Yeah! I think I should have one for my own!"  
"W...What!?" 'She... Doesn't know!?'  
"Yeah, you're right. Mom wouldn't like that... Maybe I can make one myself!"  
Hunter's eyes widened. 'No! No! No!' "Are you serious?!"  
"Yeah! Maybe I then won't have to bug you anymore!"  
Hunter's heart sunk a little. "Oh..."  
Polly got off the ground. "What are we waiting for!? Let's go home so I can make it!!" She happily skipped to the hidden pathway.  
Hunter got off the ground and rushed after her. 'This isn't right...' "Polly! Wait! Are you sure you're okay? You're not hurt at all?"  
"Nope! I'm fine!" She looked him. "...I'm not sure about you though. Are YOU okay?"  
'What is she talking about? I'm not acting THAT crazy, am I?' "Y-yeah... I'm uh.. I'm okay. I think." 'I can't believe I let that happen to her... What is wrong with me? I... I hurt her...' Hunter sighed and followed the pathway. "Come on Polly. I'm ready to go home."  
She followed him. "Same here! Can't WAIT to get started on my new friend!"  
'New... friend?' "…"  
"He'll be so nice, and sweet!"  
Hunter looked away from her. 'Are you sure about that?' "..."  
"And he'll have a BIIIIG smile!"  
Hunter was tearing up. 'A smile that can't be unseen I bet.' "..."  
"He'll understand EVERY word I say, and I'll understand him!"  
Hunter was walking a little faster. 'Unlike me...' "…"  
Polly caught up with him. "And he'll be my bestest friend ever!"  
Hunter was crying. 'I DID lose her...' He walked even faster.  
Polly caught up with him again. "Hey Hunter! Slow down! I know you want to meet him too, but wait for me!"  
Hunter didn't slow down. 'Meet him? She doesn't get it... That's my worst nightmare.' The two siblings were getting close to the path's end. Hunter was still crying. 'I dont like this... I just wanna go home...' Hunter began to sprint to the Forest Gate.  
Polly ran after him. "Hunter! Get back here!" Hunter opened the gate and went through it. Polly went through the gate after him. "Don't leave me here!"

Hunter ran out of the gate into the village. His heart was pounding, and his eyes were burning. Polly quickly followed behind. She did NOT look happy. "Hunter!!!" Hunter tried to outrun her, but he couldn't. Polly stopped Hunter and grabbed onto his shirt. "Hunter! What is your problem?!" She turned him around. Hunter was bawling.  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just... I just wanted to go home! D...don't tell on me! Please!"  
Polly raised an eyebrow. "What are you crying about!?!"  
Hunter couldn't give a straight answer. His thoughts were swirling around in his head. "I.... I'm sorry..."  
Polly let go of him. "'Sorry'? Sorry for what?! You didn't do anything!"  
"W...what? I..." 'No! It's all my fault! I... I don't know what I did. I'm just scared...'  
Polly shook her head and sighed. "You're a weird one, Hunter." She looked in the direction of their house. "Come on. Stop crying so we can go home."  
Hunter tried as hard as he could, but no matter what he did, he couldn't stop the tears flowing from his eyes. Hunter shook his head. "...I can't. I can't!"  
"Why not!?"  
"I don't know... I...I... I'm scared...." It was true, Hunter was terrified and he couldn't put it into words. He felt like he was loosing the best friend he ever had, and that it was all his fault. 'I almost KILLED her... and now she's replacing me... And I can't even tell anyone about it...'  
Polly however, had no clue what was wrong with him. For all she knew, Hunter was just being a crybaby. 'What is WRONG with him!? I know he's kind of a crybaby, but I never seen him act THIS bad! Ugh! I don't get it!! Why is he doing this?! ...He does NOT look good. ...It's kinda sad actually. ...Maybe Mom or Dad will know what to do. ...Besides, i need to get started on my new friend anyway...' "Hunter, I'm tired. Let's just go home."  
Hunter tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. He didn't know what would happen when he would get home, but he didn't care. "Y...yeah. I'd like that." The two then walked back home.

Polly ran up to the front door and held it open. "After you!"  
Hunter didn't want to go in first, but he accepted the kind gesture anyway. "...Thanks." Hunter stepped into the house and Polly soon followed. Their parents were busy preparing for dinner.  
Nixie heard the door and smiled. 'Oh thank The Creator. They're fine.' "You kids are back already?" 'Not that I mind...'  
Polly chirped. "Yup!"  
Hunter tried not to face his parents. 'I can't let them see me like THIS!' "Uh huh..."  
Bob nudged Nixie in her side. He spoke quietly so only Nixie could hear him. "See Nix? I told ya they'd be fine." He smiled. "So! Which one of ya two won?"  
Polly and Hunter grew silent. 'Won? Won what?'  
Bob shook his head. "Didn't ya play somethin? Seek or Hide? Somethin like that. ...Don't tell me ya forgot already!"  
It took a while for Hunter and Polly to realize what he was talking about. 'Oh yeah... We said we were playing hide and seek again.'  
Polly decided to break the silence. "Oh yeah! ..I don't know about Hunter, but I believe I was the winner!"  
Hunter's eyes grew wide. 'Wait a minute. SHE is the winner of this fake game?' "You? Who decided that?"  
"...I did."  
"But you always win!"  
"It's not my fault I deserved to win."  
"But you didn't win anything!"  
"Well you didn't win either!"  
Nixie interrupted their argument. "Wait just a moment! Neither of you two won? ...How is that even possible?!" 'They weren't playing, were they?' Hunter and Polly grew quiet again. It seemed that they had been found out.  
Hunter lowered his head. 'Now they'll know what I did.... I... I...' He began to tear up again. 'No... not now. Don't start crying, please!'  
Nixie saw Hunter lower his head. '...He hasn't faced me since he walked in. Why is he acting so odd?' "...Hunter. Turn around and face me."  
Tears were rolling down Hunter's face. 'No no no! Stop! I... I don't want to do this.'  
Nixie walked closer to him. "Hunter. You have to face me Hunter. Do not make me turn you around."  
Bob backed her up. "Hunter. ...Do what your mother says."  
Hunter gulped for air and slowly turned around. He was shaking, and his head was low. Nixie was shocked. "Hunter! What happened to you!?"  
Hunter mumbled. "...I was so scared.... I didn't mean to... I... I was too late..."  
Nixie put her hands on Hunter's shoulders. "Hunter, please listen to me. I don't know what happened to you, but I do know that everything will be okay. Okay?"  
Hunter lifted his head. His entire face was a light shade of red. "No... No it won't!" He lowered his head back down and rubbed his eyes.  
Nixie sighed. "Hunter, look at me. Everything is okay. If you ever feel like it isn't, we will do everything in our power to make sure it is."  
"…I know mom." Hunter gave her a hug. "I love you mom."  
Nixie teared up a little. She loved to hear those words. "Haha... I love you too baby." They let go of each other. "Hey, why don't you change into your pajamas and we'll get supper started."  
"Okay..." Hunter walked away to go to the bathroom and change into fresh pjs.

Polly sat down at the dining table. She tried to stray off topic. "So... what are we having?"  
Nixie crossed her arms. "Polly. What were you doing today?"  
"Playing hide and seek! We told you that before we left!"  
Nixie was getting annoyed. "Well then what was that all about?"  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Polly, I know you have eyes. You know exactly what I am talking about!"  
Polly knew Hunter was upset, but she just wasn't sure why. "..."  
"Polly. What Happened?"  
"I don't know."  
"Polly!"  
"I said I don't know!"  
"I find that hard to believe."  
"But it's true..."  
"What on earth have you done to him?!"  
"I didn't do anything!"  
"Well, something must have happened to make him act like that."  
"I don't know what happened to him!"  
"Were you even WITH Hunter?"  
"Of course I was!"  
"How could you not be aware of your own brother?!"  
"I don't know!!" Polly slammed her fist on the table and crossed her arms. "Hmph." 'Who does she think she is?! I don't know what's wrong with him! It'd be nice if I did though.'  
Nixie was also getting frustrated. 'What happened?! I need to know what happens with my babies. Why won't she just tell me what's wrong!? She has to know. She has to!'

Bob looked at Polly and his wife. He knew what Nixie was going through, but he also couldn't shake the feeling that Polly was telling the truth. Unable to withstand the silence, Bob walked over to sit next to Polly. "Polly, I trust ya. Ya know dat right?"  
Polly nodded. "Yes."  
"Good. Now, I dunno what you know, so I gotta ask. What happened?"  
"I told you. I don't know."  
"I believe ya. Any idea what happened before?"  
Polly thought for a moment... 'Last thing I remember before Hunter went nuts was that rabbit thing in the Twilite Wood. I don't know how that is related though... Its too cute. Besides, Hunter would be mad if I told about the hideout. ...But what can I tell them?' "We were playing hide and seek..."  
Nixie was about to say Polly was lying, but Bob gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks.  
Polly continued. "I... was hiding. Hunter was seeking. I hid in a very well hidden spot... A bit too well I guess. Hunter didn't find me... I waited for him, but he didn't show... So I left my spot... And I found him... He was upset..."  
Nixie interrupted. "But why?"  
Polly shook her head. "I don't know. My only guess is that he was scared he couldn't find me."  
"Why do ya say dat?"  
"When he saw me, he started to cry..."  
"That is just terrible!"  
"Yeah. I thought he was being nothing but a big fat crybaby."  
"Polly!"  
"What? It's not my fault he was being a wuss."  
Hunter stood not too far behind. He heard everything they said. 'A crybaby wuss? ...Is that what they see me as?' "Ahem."  
The three Raposa jumped a little at the sound of Hunter. Polly began to sweat. 'RAPO' "Oh... Hey.... Hunter... My brother! How are you....?"  
"…"  
Nixie nervously smiled. "Oh good. You look much more like yourself! ...Not that you looked awful! You're very handsome."  
Bob didn't say anything. 'Hey, I didn't do nothin.' He simply got out of his chair and began to set supper on the table.

Hunter sat down at the table without saying a single word. His expression gave off a mix of sadness, anger, and disappointment. "…" The family ate in an awkward silence.  
Hunter ate half of his food before setting it to the side. "...I'm kinda tired. Can I be excused?"  
Nixie was confused. "Isnt it just a bit early to go to bed?"  
Bob nodded. "Go ahead. Whatever's good."  
Hunter got up and went to bed. It wasn't long until the rest of the family finished their meal.

Polly got up from her chair. She wasn't quite tired, but there was something she was itching to do for a while now. "Hey mom. I wanna try to make a doll!"  
"Really? That sounds great! Just wait until I can get the materials from Isaac's, okay?"  
Polly's heart began to pound. 'I can't wait until tomorrow! Nor the next day! Nor whenever mom'll be up to it. I need to start ASAP.' "But mom.... I wanna try NOW."  
"Well I apologize for not keeping up with you. You'll have to wait."  
"But...."  
Bob was cleaning up the table. "Sorry pumpkin. Trust me. The time'll come before ya know it."  
"Thanks dad..." 'But I NEED to get this done RIGHT NOW.'

Polly went to bed and waited for her parents to do the same. Once the light was scarce, Polly snuck out of bed. She raided the dressers and took the metal tin from under her parents bed. She went back to her bed and started creating a rabbit doll using the clothing she found around the house. Just as she was working, she heard Hunter.  
"...I'm sorry.... Don't mean to... crybaby... Don't leave..... please...." He was talking in his sleep.  
Polly sighed. She felt bad for being rude to him all day. "No.... I'M sorry." She continued to work on her new friend for the rest of the night.


	7. The Bongo

It was midnight. The sun was fast asleep and didn't want to wake up. The Raposa Village was dark and silent. It almost had an eerie atmosphere to it.

Polly was still awake. She was very tired, but she HAD to finish her friend. She had no choice. 'Ah.. Rapo... I forgot the stuffing.' She looked at what she made so far. 'I can't just wait until tomorrow.... I need this NOW.' She looked around to see if she can find anything to use. 'Aha!' She found a few stuffed animals that haven't been in use. 'That'll work!' She got up from her bed and picked up one of the animals. She then picked up all of her materials and placed them on the kitchen table. Polly picked up a pair of scissors and sliced the animal open. She reached inside and pulled out all of the stuffing. "Sorry Mr. Bear..." Polly inserted the stuffing into her new friend, and continued to stitch him together.

The house was starting to get a little lighter. It wasn't quite daytime, but the sun was almost ready to wake up. Bob opened his eyes and stretched. He looked at his wife, who was still fast asleep. 'She's not up yet? She's usually up before I am. ...She had a rough day Bob. Let her sleep.' He got out of bed and went to the kitchen. He unknowingly walked past Polly sitting at the kitchen table, and made himself a cup of coffee. He turned around and took a sip when he finally noticed Polly sitting at the table. "Pfft!" He choked on his coffee. "P...Polly! Wha? What are ya doin up dis early?!"  
Polly was holding her newly finished friend. "Couldn't sleep." She yawned. 'I just couldn't sleep until he was finished...'  
Bob nodded. "Yeah... I couldn't sleep either." He set his coffee down on the table and sat down. He then saw the rabbit doll in Polly's arms. "...Where'd ya get dat?"  
Polly looked down at the doll she made and smiled.  
"Made him."  
"Ya made dat? Pretty nice."  
She nodded. "I made him last night."  
"Last... night? Aw.... no... Don't tell me ya stayed up for THIS."  
Polly slowly nodded. "...I couldn't do anything but think about it."  
"Polly..." 'That sounds like somethin I would do.... I don't want her to be like me...' He sighed. "I get it. Ya wanted to get it done. Just please don't do dat again. It's bad for ya."  
Polly's eyes were tired. She did not want this to happen again. She nodded. "Okay dad. I understand."

Nixie got finally up from her bed and walked to the kitchen. "Hi Bobby..." She kissed him on the lips. "..." ...It was a very... very long kiss. Polly pointed at her mouth and gagged in disgust. Nixie heard her and quickly stopped to turn around. Her cheeks were a little pink. "Uh..... Polly! How... How long were you..?"  
Bob interrupted. "The whole time."  
"Bobby! Why didn't you tell me!?"  
Bob blushed. "Haha....Your lips wouldn't let me..."  
"...Oh."  
Polly looked at her new friend. "Do you believe this?" She paused and looked at her parents. "Even Bongo doesn't believe this."  
Nixie raised an eyebrow. "...Bongo?"  
"Oh!" Polly placed the doll on the table and made it face Nixie. "This is my friend. Bongo!"  
Nixie looked at her husband. "Did she.... stay awake all night to make that?"  
Bob whispered back to her. "Nix... look at her. She's tired. She's not gonna do dat again."  
Nixie sighed and looked at the doll on the table. '...Wait a minute. Where did she get the materials for this?' "Polly. How on earth did you make this?"  
Polly paused for a moment. "...I found some spare materials."  
"But where did you get the materials for this?"  
"I uh..."  
Nixie glared at Polly. "I know you didn't use 'spare materials'. What did you use?"  
Polly was getting nervous. "Uhh..." She glanced at dresser she raided. 'Don't look... Don't look!'  
Nixie saw Polly look at the dresser and marched towards it.  
Polly, knowing that she was about to get in trouble, squeezed Bongo in her arms. 'Oh no...'  
Nixie opened one of the drawers and saw some cut and torn pieces of clothing. Most of them belonged to Nixie and Polly. "Polly!!! Why would you do this!? You know how much these cost!"  
"...I couldn't wait."  
Nixie was getting irritated. "Of course you could have!! Those clothes were very nice too...."  
"I had to use the best stuff for Bongo. That's what he wanted."  
"Well turn him down next time!"  
"I did! He wanted me to use your white dress, but I told him you'd be mad. Besides, it was too lacy anyway."  
Nixie's eyes grew wide. "My..... WHITE dress?" 'Don't tell me she touched my wedding dress...'  
"Don't worry, I didn't touch it!"  
Nixie let out a small sigh of relief. "Polly, you should have waited."  
"...I know."  
Nixie folded the ruined cloths and put them on the table. 'Maybe I can use them for something?' She let out a sigh of frustration.  
Bob put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Nix. Just let it go."  
Nixie wanted to punish Polly, but was too tired. She smiled and pat Bongo on the head. "...Is that one of my bracelets?"  
"Oh... Yeah. I thought it looked nice. ...You're not mad?"  
Nixie shook her head. "I think it looks lovely." The three Raposa smiled and laughed with each other.

The sun was finally up in the sky. The morning light filled the room. Bob and Nixie were just getting started on breakfast. Everyone in the house was awake. Well, almost everyone. Polly looked at Hunter, who was still fast asleep. "Of course he's the last one to wake up." She looked at Bongo. "Do think we should wake him up?" She made Bongo nod. "That's what I thought!" She got up from her chair and walked up to him.

Hunter tossed and turned in his bed. He was having trouble getting a good rest. His thoughts swirled around inside of him and turned into bad nightmares.

_Hunter was in his home with his family. There strangely wasn't any furniture in the house. Hunter was standing in a corner, while everyone else stood in the center of the room. They seemed to be happy and looked like they were having fun. Hunter, not wanting to miss out, walked closer to them. Despite not being that far away, it took forever to get to them. Hunter's heart pounded. With every step he took, his family got less and less happy. They eventually started to argue and yell at each other. Hunter wanted to turn around and make them happy again, but he couldn't control his legs. He kept moving forward. The yelling grew louder and louder. Hunter couldn't tell what they were saying, but felt like it had to do with him somehow. The yelling turned into screaming. Hunter's ears hurt. The screams made his ears ring. As Hunter was getting close, it looked like things were about to get violent. His parents were at each other's throats, and Polly was in the middle of it. Hunter couldn't bear to see what would happen, so he squeezed his eyes shut._   
_After a long series of screams and shouts, everything stopped. The yelling stopped, the ringing stopped, even Hunter stopped. The air was a little chilly. The wooden flooring was gone. Instead, Hunter felt the feeling of soft grass brush against his legs. Hunter reluctantly opened his eyes. He wasn't home anymore. He was in an open field of knee high purple grass. The sky was a snowy off white. Hunter didn't see a single rapo in front of him. He sighed. He turned around in an attempt to go home, when he saw Polly._   
_She stared at Hunter with a blank expression on her face._   
_Hunter approached her. "Polly! What are you doing here!? You have to go home! This isn't safe!"_   
_Polly looked a little annoyed._   
_Hunter got closer. "Look, I'm sorry. But you can't be here! It's too dangerous!" Hunter tried to put his hand on her shoulder and guide her home, but Polly smacked his arm away. The sky was starting to grow dark. "Polly, listen to me!! I'm not trying to be a jerk." Hunter was tearing up "I just don't want you to die!!" Tears poured down Hunter's face. "I'm sorry Polly... I didn't mean to hurt you... I really didn't... I... I should've helped you. I... I shouldn't have let you here... I could've told them.... but I didn't. ...I shouldn't have been so selfish. .......I'm ......I'm sorry."_   
_Polly looked angry. Her arms were crossed. "Don't be such a crybaby."_   
_Hunter choked a little on his tears. "I'm.... I'm not a baby.... I don't mean to cry...."_   
_"You're such a wuss."_   
_Hunter was getting a little mad. "You don't get it. You don't get ANYTHING! I... I'm trying to HELP you! Why won't you let me help you!?!"_   
_Polly turned away from Hunter._   
_"Polly..."_   
_Polly began to walk away._   
_"Polly, I'm sorry!! I'll always be here for you! Always!!!"_   
_Polly kept walking._   
_"Polly, please don't leave me here! Polly!"_   
_Polly turned around. Her eyes were a burning red. "Don't even try. Stupid Baki." She turned back around and walked away._   
_Hunter stood in shock for a second. It felt like he had been stabbed straight through the chest. He tried to run after her, but he couldn't catch up. "Polly!!! Come back! Don't leave me...! Please!!!!!" Hunter's legs grew weak and tired. He fell to the ground. "Polly!!!" Hunter got up from the ground._   
_The sky was dark, and Polly was but a dot in the distance. The grass was no longer purple. It was instead a light shade of grey. The wind was a sharp blade that pierced through Hunter's entire body. Hunter tried to run after Polly, but his legs were stiff. He couldn't move. "Polly!"_   
_Just then, a wall of darkness surrounded Hunter. The wall kept closing in on him. Eventually, black was all Hunter could see. "No... No. No! Let me go!! Please!!! Just let me go home!!!! PLEASE!!" Hunter began to cry. "No.... No... No..."_   
_Just then, Hunter heard Polly's voice. "Hun... Hunter... wak.... I want you to.... someone. Wake up!"_

Hunter opened his eyes to see the biggest smile he had ever seen. "AAAH!" Hunter fell out of his bed. "Ow...."  
Polly laughed. "Are you okay?"  
Hunter got up from the floor. "Ugh... I think I broke my face...."  
"I hope not! I want you to see someone!"  
Hunter rubbed his eyes. 'Oh no... Who is it?'  
Polly held up Bongo to Hunter's eye level. "This is Bongo!"  
"Uh... Hi." 'She made that already? I thought I would've had more time...'  
Polly smiled. "Aww... I think he likes you!"  
"Wait, really?" '...I dunno if I like IT though.'  
Polly nodded. "Yup!" She tossed Bongo in the air and caught him. "Come on! Let's go eat!" She ran to the table.  
Hunter's stomach grumbled. He didn't eat much the day before, and the thought of eggs and toast made him drool. "Polly wait up!" He caught up with her and sat down.  
Polly impatiently tapped her fingers on the table. "Uggh... Come oooon already! I'm starving!"  
Nixie turned around. "It will be ready in just a minute. You can wait that long."  
"Uuuuugh. This is ridiculous!" She turned to face Bongo, who was sitting on the table. "Don't you think this is crazy?"  
"..."  
"Thank you!! Someone gets it!"  
Hunter stared at the table. 'Hey... I get it... I'm hungry too y'know.'  
Nixie finally placed the food on the table and sat down. "There you are."  
Hunter and Polly grinned at the food in front of them. "Thank you!"  
Hunter slid the egg onto his toast, folded it into a sandwich, and took a big bite. He spoke with his mouth full. "Mmm... This so good."  
Nixie smiled. "Glad to hear! ...And please eat slowly! It's much better for you."  
Polly smirked. "Yeah! Besides, you look stupid when you do that."  
Hunter glared at her.  
"What? It's true! It's disturbing! I know Bongo was disturbed! Weren't you Bongo?"  
"..."  
"See? It's weird! ...Don't worry Bongo, I was disturbed too."  
Hunter looked at his mom in hopes that she'd yell at her. 'Mom! She's being mean to me! Do something!'  
Nixie saw Hunter, and thought to herself. 'She is being a little tough... But tough can be good... After all, she is telling the truth. It WAS unsightly... Oh well... Besides, it's Bobby's turn anyway.' She nudged her husband in the shoulder.  
Bob looked up from his plate. "What? Uh um..." '...What just happened?' He looked at Nixie for some sort of hint, and she just motioned toward the kids. 'Oh... That... That doesn't help much.' He looked at Hunter and Polly. "Uh... Hunter, don't be mean to your sister."  
Hunter nodded. "Okay dad."  
"And Polly, don't... uh... take candy from strangers?" Nixie shook her head and sighed. "What? What'd I do?"  
Polly looked at Bongo. "That was... embarrassing to watch..."  
Hunter quietly finished his breakfast. '...I didn't mean to cause that... Oops.'

Polly soon finished her breakfast as well. "You know Bongo, you're pretty cool. ...Do you wanna hang out?"  
"..."  
"Awesome! ...Mom! Dad! I'm going outside with Bongo for a while!"  
Bob nodded. "M'kay. Sounds good." Polly got out of her seat and rushed to the door with Bongo in her arms.  
Nixie however, was not okay with it. 'All that darkness... How it keeps closing in on us... What did we do to deserve this? ...What did I do to have to fear the outdoors? I shouldn't worry for them.... Yet I do. I really do... Something bad is bound to happen... I can't let them out of my sight...' She was about to call Polly back, but she already left the house. She glared at Bob for letting Polly get away.  
Bobbery sunk in his chair. 'Why she lookin at me like this? What'd I do?' It took a while for him to realise why his wife was giving him the evil eye. "Oops... Uh..." He looked at Hunter. "Hunter, can ya go check on your sis?"  
"Yeah dad." 'I HAVE to make sure she's okay... That thing creeps me out... I dunno what it's doing to her... But I can't let it happen.' Hunter got up from his chair and went out the door to find Polly.  
Nixie's jaw dropped. 'Did he... Did he just allow BOTH of them to disappear!?' She hit Bob in the side.  
"Ow! What was dat for!?"  
Nixie was getting a headache. "...They got away."  
"Wha?"  
"YOU JUST LET BOTH OF OUR CHILDREN GET AWAY FROM US! NOW THEY'RE BOTH IN THAT TERRIBLE WORLD ALL BY THEMSELVES DOING WHO KNOWS WHAT! BOBBERY!! DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?"  
"Nix... I'm sorry..."  
"SORRY DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING! THANKS TO YOUR IDIOTIC ACTIONS, THEY MIGHT..." She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. "They... they could REALLY hurt themselves."  
Bob put his hand on her shoulder. "Nixie... I'm really sorry. Really am."  
"I... I know. I'm sorry too. I just... I couldn't control myself... You deserve better than this. ...You deserve better than me."  
"Don't say dat Nix... You're way too good for me and ya know dat." He kissed her on the cheek.  
Nixie sighed. "They worry me so much Bobby. That darkness looming around us... it cannot lead to any good. Nothing that man did was good."  
"I know... Come here." He wrapped his arms around her. He was trying to comfort her as well as himself. "It's okay. ...It's gonna be okay."  
Hunter, who heard the yelling from outside, peeked his head through the window. "Uh... Hey! Sorry if this is a bad time..."  
Bob and Nixie noticed Hunter's voice and looked towards him. Bob shook his head. "Nah... You're good."  
Nixie jumped up from her chair. "What happened? What's wrong?"  
Hunter was startled by his mom's worry. "What? Nothing's wrong. I saw Polly. She's pretty close by."  
Nixie let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank The Creator..."  
"I just wanted to let you know I'll stay close."  
"Thank you..."  
Hunter looked at Polly in the distance. He didn't get to talk to her yet, and he really needed to. "See ya." Hunter walked away from the window, leaving his parents at home.  
Nixie watched Hunter approach Polly in the distance. She sighed.  
Bob got up and stood next to her. "Ya ok?"  
"...I'm not sure. I just feel so... so..."  
"Scared?" Nixie nodded. Bob laughed. "Me too."  
"Bobby..." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much."  
"I love ya too Nix."

Hunter took a deep breath and headed towards his sister. Polly was spinning around, holding Bongo by his ears. She seemed to be very happy. And a bit distracted. It wasn't long until Polly spun into Hunter. "Oof!" Polly looked up and finally noticed Hunter. "Hunter!"  
Hunter brushed himself off. "Hey! ...Whatcha doing?"  
"Nothing much! Just hanging with my best bud!"  
Hunter's heart sunk a little. 'BEST bud?' "That's cool. ...Mind if I join you?"  
"Of course not! How about you Bongo? Do you mind at all? ...Uh huh? Uh huh?"  
Hunter was getting a little nervous. 'What if it hates me? What am I gonna do then? I'll never see Polly again! ...Hunter, calm down. It's just a doll. It doesn't think anything.'  
"..."  
"Bongo says you're good!"  
Hunter let out a sigh of relief. "...So now what do we do?"  
Polly thought for a moment. "Hmm... I think I'm in the mood for a picnic!"  
"A picnic?"  
"Yeah! Either that or a tea party. What do you think?"  
"Well, I..."  
Polly interrupted. "I was talking to Bongo."  
"...Oh."  
"...A tea party picnic? Why didn't I think of that?"  
Hunter sighed. 'But you DID think of that...' "Sounds cool!" '..I dunno if I wanna be alone with this thing... I mean Polly's here too but.... Something is off. And I dunno what it is.' "...But it'd be kinda odd with just the two of us.."  
"You mean three!" Polly held up Bongo as a reminder of his existence.  
Hunter looked away. "Oh. Right. ...You sure you want me to join in?"  
Polly nodded. "Of course! You're awesome to be around! ...Besides, Bongo needs to get to know you better!"  
Hunter nervously smiled. 'I'd rather not...' "Cool. ...I'm gonna go get everything." Hunter walked back home.  
Polly followed. "I'm coming with you! You only pick the stuff YOU like!"  
Hunter chuckled to himself. 'Well, she isn't wrong...'

The two siblings walked into the house and were greeted by their parents.  
Nixie smiled. "Oh, back so soon?"  
Hunter nodded. "Yeah. But.."  
Polly interrupted. "We're going to have a tea party picnic!"  
Bob smirked. "Well dat sounds pretty fun!"  
Polly grinned. "Yeah! It's going to be really fun!"  
Hunter suddenly had an idea. "Hey! You guys should join us! It'll be like a party!" 'And I won't be alone with that thing! ...Besides, it's been a while since I've seen everyone together...'  
Polly was jumping up and down. "Good idea! It'll be so much fun!"  
Nixie however, wasn't as excited. "I don't know... It might be dangerous."  
Polly's eyes widened. "What!? Come on mom! Pleeeease! We'll be safe! I swear!"  
Hunter chimed in. "Yeah mom! Come on! Please?!"  
Nixie was unsure. "But the darkness..."  
Her husband put his hand on her shoulder. He spoke quietly. "Nix, relax. It's not near us yet. We'll be okay. Besides, it's so nice out dere. When are we gonna get another chance to do dis?"  
"...You're right. ...Hunter, go find a blanket!"  
Hunter grinned and headed to search for a good blanket.  
"Polly, go get the tea ready! I'll whip up some some snacks!"  
Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms. "Alright mom!" She rushed to the kitchen cabinets to retrieve the tea set.  
"...And Bobby,"  
Bob jumped a little. "Y-yeah?"  
"...Make sure Polly doesn't hurt herself. That tea set is so fragile."  
"Oh. Alight..." He was about to turn around, when Nixie stopped him.  
"Oh, and Bobby..." She kissed him. "Thank you."

Everyone gathered everything they needed, and set everything up. Once everything was on the blanket, everyone sat down.  
Polly, wanting Bongo to have his own seat, set her doll next to Hunter. Hunter, disturbed by the doll, shifted away from it.  
Bob and Nixie happily sat next to each other and smiled.  
Bob kissed her on the cheek. "You're so beautiful."  
Nixie giggled. "Bobby! Not in front the kids!"  
"Oh. Sorry. I just can't control myself around ya." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.  
Polly and Hunter were getting a little uncomfortable. Polly covered Bongo's eyes as well as her own. "I'm too young for this!"  
Hunter looked away and cleared his throat. Loudly.  
Bob and Nixie finally heard Hunter and stopped. "Uh..."  
Both of their faces were red. Especially Bob's. "Haha..."  
Nixie elbowed him. "Bobby!"  
"Sorry... I told ya I had no control!... Um..." 'Ah... My face is on fire...' "...Polly, can ya pour me some tea?"  
"Oh! Sure dad!" Polly poured the tea into her father's teacup.  
"Thank ya." Nervous, Bob quickly lifted the cup to his lips. Hot tea spilled onto his face and poured down his chin. "AAh!!"  
Nixie's eyes widened. "Oh Creator! Bobby! Are you alright?!"  
"...Y-Yes! Napkin! Please!"  
Hunter handed over a handful of napkins to him.  
Bob immediately took the napkins and dried himself off. "Ah... Thanks."  
Polly began to laugh. "Dad! You're so ridiculous!"  
Nixie crossed her arms. "Polly! There is no need to be rude!"  
Polly continued to laugh. "But it's a good ridiculous! Haha! You're ridiculous too!"  
Nixie blushed. "Haha..." She nervously took a small bite out of her sandwich. But as she bit into it, the sandwich was starting to fall apart. Not wanting to get stains on anything, she shoved the tiny sandwich into her mouth. "Mmmph..." Realizing how silly she looked, Nixie smiled and finished her sandwich. Everyone began to laugh.

Hunter, not wanting to miss out on the fun, began to toss cookies up in the air to try and catch them with his mouth. He missed all of them. When the cookies didn't land on the blanket, they hit Hunter in the face. But instead of being brought down, he laughed with everyone and ate the cookies off of the ground. One of the cookies landed on top of his head. But Hunter didn't feel it, and frantically looked for the missing cookie. "What the? Where did it go?"  
Everyone began to laugh. "It's right there!"  
"Where?!"  
"On top of you!"  
Hunter patted the top of his head until he finally found the cookie. "Oh. There it is! Haha." He took the cookie and took a bite out of it.  
Bob laughed. Nixie however, shook her head in disgust and sighed. "Hunter, don't eat that..."  
Polly laughed. "Yeah Hunter! You don't know where your head has been!" Hunter picked up a cookie and jokingly threw it at Polly.  
"Ow!" Polly picked up a berry threw it at Hunter for revenge. "Take that!" The berry hit Hunter on the nose.  
Hunter glared at Polly. "So that's how it's gonna be huh?"  
A smirk crawled on both Hunter and Polly's face. They began to throw food at each other.  
Bob chuckled quietly to himself. 'I'd join, but dat be wrong huh?'  
Nixie crossed her arms. 'You have to be joking. I raised them to be better than this!' "Hey! Stop throwing your food! You know better than tha-" A piece of cake landed on her face.  
Polly and Hunter grew silent. 'Uh oh. This isn't good...'  
Bob laughed to himself, trying his best not to let anyone hear him. Despite his efforts, everyone heard him. Especially Nixie.  
She wiped the cake off of her face, and shoved it in her husband's face. After a moment of silence, Everyone began to laugh. Bobbery wiped the cake off his face, and continued the food fight.  
Everyone was having a fun time throwing food at each other. Fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, and dessert soared through the air. It was getting out of control. Food was getting everywhere.  
Polly was in the middle of the fight when she saw some pudding head toward Bongo. "No." She ran in front of the doll and blocked it from the food storm. "Noooooooo!" Polly was bombarded with an assortment of food.  
After a while, the fight was put to a halt. Everyone was covered in filth. The only thing that was left unscathed was Bongo. Polly pick up her doll and looked at it. "Bongo! Are you okay? You're not hurt right?"  
"..."  
"Phew... That was close!" She laughed. "...I guess you won the fight huh?" Everyone cleaned up and went back inside.

After cleaning themselves off and putting everything away, Bobbery began to prepare for supper. ...And by 'prepare for supper', he was fixing up leftovers from the picnic. Nixie tried to convince him to let her make something, but he refused, saying she needed a break.  
Nixie and her two children sat at the kitchen table, waiting for supper.  
Polly was holding Bongo in her arms, proud of her new friend.  
Hunter stared at the doll. The sight of it made him uneasy. '...Why is it staring at me? It's like it's TRYING to remind me of what I did. ...It looks happy about it too.'  
Polly smirked. "Hunter, stop staring! You're making Bongo nervous!"  
"Uh..."  
"...I know you're jealous, but keep it to yourself! Bongo can't take it!"  
"Uhh... Sorry!" 'Wait. I'm not jealous! I just don't want him to hurt you! And I don't want you to spend so much time with him! And I don't want him to exist! ...Okay, maybe I'm a little jealous. I mean, it's just a doll. It can't hurt her. Besides, she looks happy... Maybe I should... warm up to the thing.' It took a while for Hunter to build up the courage to speak. "...So, Uh.... Polly?"  
"Hm?"  
"I don't think I... had the chance to really meet... Uh..."  
"Bongo!"  
"R-right... So... is that okay? ...That I meet him?"  
"Of course!" Polly plopped Bongo on the table. "He's so cool. Look at that face! Doesn't that just scream 'cool'?"  
"Yeah." 'No. No it doesn't. It's just weird.'  
Polly handed the doll to her brother. "Don't hurt him!"  
"I won't." Hunter reluctantly took the doll. The doll was surprisingly soft. 'I thought it would be rough and scratchy, but it isn't. Maybe I was wrong about it?'  
Polly giggled. "Soft isn't he?"  
"Yeah."  
"I knew you'd like it. I like it too! I couldn't let Bongo be made with anything else. He deserves the best!" Nixie gave Polly a stern look from across the table. It seemed she was still a little upset that Polly raided her wardrobe. Polly nervously laughed to herself. "...Sorry."  
Hunter handed the doll back to Polly.

The leftovers finally made it to the table. The tired family quietly ate together. Polly had Bongo on her lap. She offered the doll a piece of her sandwich. "Aren't you hungry Bongo? You didn't eat all day."  
"..."  
"Wait, you don't need to eat?"  
"..."  
"Oh... I didn't know. Sorry Bongo! ...Well, more for me I guess!" Polly continued to eat her food. "..." Her eyes were getting heavy. She didn't sleep at all the night before, and it was catching up with her. 'I'm... so tired. I... I can't.' She closed her eyes and fell asleep.  
Hunter was tired too. He took a glance at Polly and saw her fast asleep. 'What the...? Hey! It's not bedtime yet... ...I ...I wish it was though.' Hunter yawned. He didn't have a good sleep the night before, and the thought of a nap sounded really good to him. 'Goodnight...' Hunter's head fell onto the table.  
Nixie and Bob were alarmed by the thud. Nixie rushed over to Hunter. "Hunter! Are you okay?"  
Hunter didn't respond. He snored a little.  
"Oh thank Creator, he's just sleeping."  
Bob began to chuckle to himself.  
Nixie turned to face her husband. 'What on earth is he laughing about?' Bobbery gestured to Polly, who was fast asleep with Bongo in her arms.  
Nixie smiled. "Aw... they're so precious."  
Bob nodded. "Dey really are."  
Nixie sighed. "I don't know what I would do without these two..."  
"Come on Nix. Let's go get these lil rapos to bed."  
Bob picked up Polly and carried her to her bed. As she was being carried away, Bongo slipped from Polly's arms. In her sleep, Polly reached out for the doll. It was as if she could sense it wasn't with her.  
"Don't worry sweetie. I'll get it back." Bob set her down and tucked her into her bed. He then retrieved the doll and placed it right next to Polly. Almost as soon as Bongo was put down, Polly squeezed the doll in her arms.  
Bob walked back to Nixie, who was standing by the sleeping Hunter. "Too heavy for ya?"  
"Hm? Oh. Um.." 'Well, I guess so... but...' "I just didn't want to wake him up..."  
Bob smiled. "Ya kiddin? He wouldn't wake up if da world was endin."  
Nixie nervously laughed. "Bobby..."  
"Hehe... Come on and help me lift him up." The two lifted hunter from his chair and tucked him in.  
Nixie looked at him and sighed. "My babies... They're so beautiful."  
Bob smiled. "Yeah. Dey really are." He yawned and stretched. "...Well, I dunno bout you, but it's bout time I hit the hay." He was headed to bed when he noticed that Nixie wasn't following him. "...Ya coming?"  
Nixie stood in place, looking at her sleeping children. "...I ...I think I'll stay here for a while longer if you don't mind."  
Bobbery didn't understand what she was up to, but he didn't feel like asking her about it. "Alright then. Don't keep me waitin long..." He reluctantly went to bed without her.

The house was dark. Nixie was the only one up. She looked down at Hunter and Polly. Both of them were fast asleep.  
She sighed. "Look at how peaceful they are... Their little faces, they are nothing short of adorable..." She parted the hair from Polly's face. "I'm sorry... You two don't deserve anything bad to happen. ...But I know I can't stop that. Oh how I wish I could could. I would keep us in a bubble if it meant we'd be safe... But... I can't. ...I know you will turn out great, you have to. *sigh* ...When I was a child, I was always expected to be greater than I truly was... I don't wish that on anyone let alone the two of you... Whenever I felt afraid or unsure about something, this one song would always comfort me. ...I'll be honest. I need to be comforted right now... I don't know if it still works at all, but I pray it provides you good fortune at the very least."  
She began to quietly sing a lullaby. She didn't know where she learned the song, or even know what it was about. All she knew was that the song gave her good vibes.  
She finished her lullaby and sighed. "...You probably didn't hear it, but that's okay. As long as you two are safe and sound, I will always be happy. ...I love you."  
Nixie, humming her lullaby, finally went to bed.


	8. The Divide

He did his best to get through each day normally. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't get rid of the cloud of doom over his head. He had nightmares often. 'I... I can't take this anymore...'  
He wanted to run to his mommy and cry, but he didn't know how. He would have a lot of explaining to do. 'I'd have to give up the woods....'  
He thought long and hard. As much as this place made him anxious, this was the one place he knew best. Every time he went there, it always found a way to make him feel good. 'What if I can just get over this? Then I can go back anytime. ...But that would be selfish huh? Besides, I don't think I can ever get over this. Not without doing something about it.' He took a deep breath. It might have taken a while, but Hunter finally had an idea. 'Maybe I should.... Go back. And... say goodbye or something. Then I'll tell mom and dad about it. ...Maybe then I'll be able to finally get this stuff off my chest..." He went to bed and fell asleep, nervous about his plan.

_Hunter woke up in complete darkness. The bed was gone, and the ground didn't seem to exist. Hunter was floating in midair. He could hear the wind, but he didn't feel it. It was as if something surrounded him._   
_Hunter swam through the air, hoping to find a way out. After what seemed to be days, Hunter finally came across a black border. He reached his arm out to touch it. The wall was slimy and cold. Hunter retracted his hand and shook off the dark goo. "What the...?" He looked at the wall once more. It seemed this was his only way out. "They must miss me... I need to go back..." He floated into the gooey border. The dark goop was all over his body. 'This is disgusting...' He continued to move forward. It was the only way._   
_He was almost there. He began to see sunshine through the shadow. A smile crept onto Hunter's face. He was almost home._   
_Just then, the sun fell from the sky. It was pitch black again. Hunter could feel the shadow moving him away from the exit. 'No. No!' He tried to swim his way forward, but he wasn't strong enough._   
_The shadow whispered in his ears. 'They don't need you... Why would anyone miss you...? ...You are nothing. ...Stay here little baki. ...What's the matter baki? Are you going to cry? Go ahead. It's not like anyone will hear you. You are pointless...'_   
_Hunter's eyes were watery. "That.... That's not true! Stop it!"_   
_The whispers continued. "STOP IT! STOP IT!!! WHY WON'T YOU STOP?"_   
_The whispers mocked him. 'Stoooop! Oh, stoooop iiiiit!'_   
_"Stop it please!"_   
_'Stop it please!'_   
_"I.... I... I..." Tears rolled down Hunter's cheeks. "Let me out of here! PLEASE!"_   
_'Let me out! Let me out!'_   
_"SOMEONE HELP ME!! PLEASE!!!!! MOM! DAD! POLLY!"_   
_'Oh, somebody help! Mommy! Daddy! Anybody!'_   
_"CREATOR HELP ME PLEASE!!!! I'M SORRY! I DON'T WANT IT TO END LIKE THIS! CREATOR DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING! JUST MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT ST-"_

"-OP!" Hunter woke up in his bed. His heart pounded. 'Oh thank Creator... Just a dream.' He looked around. The room was still dark. Everyone was fast asleep. '...I guess nobody heard me.' He took a deep breath and sighed. 'I guess I should go back to sleep huh? But... I don't really think I want to.'  
After a few minutes, Hunter tried to go back to sleep.  
"..."  
He tossed and turned in his bed. He really wanted to go back to sleep, but he just couldn't. After a few hours of tossing and turning, Hunter decided to get up.  
"Uggh..." He walked over to the kitchen and got himself a midnight snack. 'This has to stop. I cant keep this up... I need to get this over with NOW.' He sighed and looked out the window. It was still dark. Almost in a eerie way. '...Okay, maybe not RIGHT now, but today for sure.' He sat down at the kitchen table. "It's going to be fine, Hunter. Everything will be okay..."

The sun was just beginning to shine through the house.  
Nixie got out of bed and stretched. After going through her hair with a brush, she walked over to the kitchen and poured herself some hot tea. She saw Hunter sitting at the kitchen table. He was asleep. "...Hunter?"  
No response.  
She put her hand on his shoulder. That seemed to do the trick.  
Hunter jumped awake. "Huh!? W..what the...?" He saw his mom and smiled. "...Oh. Hey mom."  
"Morning little one. ...What are you doing sleeping here of all places?"  
"Oh... Uh... I... I didn't sleep well."  
"That's terrible!"  
"Yeah, I guess so..."  
She looked at his face. His eyes were red and had bags underneath them. 'This isn't the first time I have seen him like this. Something is wrong...' "Hunter... what has been troubling you?"  
"W... Wha?"  
"You have been like this for a while now. Something must be running through your head."  
"I..." He looked away. 'Say something! Anything!'  
Nixie set down her tea and sat down next to Hunter. "Hunter... Look at me. What is it?"  
"...I ...I keep...." 'Come on Hunter, suck it up.' "...I keep having these bad dreams..."  
"Hunter..."  
"They just keep happening. I... I just feel trapped, and scared, and... and..."  
Nixie squeezed him in her arms. "Shh.... You're okay. Everything's okay..." "Mom..."  
"I know... I know. Everything has been getting scary lately. I'm afraid too. Nevertheless, we have to stay together. Okay?" 'This shadow has to stop. I'm fine if you haunt me. But haunting my children!? That man...' Nixie's eyes watered.  
Hunter heard his mom sob. "You okay mom?"  
"...Yes. ...Are you alright?"  
".....Yeah..."  
"...Would you like to talk about it? ...Your nightmares?"  
Hunter shook his head. He wasn't ready to talk about it in detail. "...No, I'm good."  
"...Oh." Nixie let go of him. "...Let me know if you change your mind. Okay?"  
Hunter gave her a smile. "...Okay mom."

Bob and Polly finally woke up and joined Hunter and Nixie for breakfast. Each of them ended up in their own world.  
Hunter stared at his food and ate in silence. He tried his best to avoid looking at anyone. Especially Polly.  
Nixie kept glancing at Hunter, clearly worried about him.  
Bob was simply confused. His eyes scattered. Something was off, but he had no clue what it could be.  
Polly was just eating and talking with Bongo. She was unaware that something was off. ...Well, mostly unaware. 'Why is everyone so quiet? Did I do something?' She looked at Bongo for an answer.  
She made Bongo shake his head no.  
'Phew... That's good!' She smiled. '...It's awesome that you're able to read my mind like that.' She looked at Hunter and her smile disappeared. '...Is he okay?' Hunter's dark mood seemed almost contagious. 'He looks kinda... depressed. ...I wonder why.' She sighed and looked down at the doll in her arms.  
"..."  
'Yeah. Yeah, you're right. He's probably fine. Sorry... I just want everyone to be okay...'  
"..."  
'Thanks Bongo. I know I can count on you.' She gave the doll a hug and smiled. "I love you..."

The family finished eating and sat in an awkward silence for a moment. "..." Bob shot a glance at his wife in hopes that he would figure something out. 'What in da world is goin on!? Does everyone hate each other or somthin? Nix! You clearly know something. Help a guy out, will ya?'  
Nixie saw Bobbery and how confused he was. She got up from her chair, and collected the dirty dishes. "Bobby? Would you please help me with these?"  
Bob looked at her confused. 'What is she talkin about? That's not really a two person job. .....Oh! I get it.' "Oh! ...Of course!" Bob got up from his seat and followed Nixie to the kitchen counter, away from Hunter and Polly. "...What the Rapo was DAT about?!"  
"Shh!"  
"Shh? Why 'shh'?! Come on Nix! Just tell me!"  
"..."  
"Nix."  
"...Keep your volume low."  
"...Why?"  
".....It's Hunter."  
"Hunter? What's wrong with Hunter? Did someone hurt him?" He formed his hands into fists. "I'll pound em. Pound em till they're dust."  
"Bobby, that is sweet of you. ...But that isn't the issue."  
"...Then what is it?"  
"...Hunter told me something interesting. ...He said he was having these dreams lately."  
"D... dreams?"  
"Nightmares to be specific."  
"...Oh."  
Nixie quickly peeked at Hunter. "He looks so frightened..."  
"...What's t  
he dream about?"  
"I don't know... I asked but.... he refused to say."  
"Ah..."  
Hunter stared at his parents. Despite their efforts to distance themselves, Hunter could hear everything they said. Even if he couldn't hear them, it was obvious that they were talking about him. 'I know they should know about this, but really? You're gonna try to talk about me like that? ...It's like my feelings are taboo or something. ...I guess i should've expected this from them. ...It's kinda embarrassing though.'  
It didn't take long for Bob and Nixie to notice Hunter looking directly at them. The two quickly grew nervous.  
"Oh! Uhm.... I'm about to go outside for... uh..."  
"Groceries?"  
"Yes! That's it! We're low on uh... everything!"  
"Imma go with ya. You're gonna need help with all dat stuff. I... Uh... I needed to go get a new coping saw anyway..."  
The two speed walked to the door. "We'll be back in no time! Take care of yourselves! AND STAY IN THE HOUSE! ...I love you! Bye bye!"  
Bob and Nixie quickly walked out the front door, hoping to continue their conversation.  
Nixie looked back into the house and reluctantly closed the door. She sighed. "..."  
"Come on Nix. They'll be fine."  
"...I suppose so."

The two walked to Isaac's shop. Once they entered the building, a young Isaac greeted them from the back counter.  
"Hello Bob! Hello Nixie!"  
Bob smiled. "Hey Isaac."  
"What can I get for you?"  
"Got any coping saws around?"  
"Let me check storage." Isaac walked away from his counter and entered a backroom.  
Nixie sighed. 'Finally... Some alone time.' She walked up behind Bob, who was looking at some of the displayed items. "...Do you think he'll be okay?"  
Bob didn't look at her and simply shrugged. "..."  
"We shouldn't have left them alone... They could be in horrific danger and I wouldn't know it. ...All the darkness... It's getting really bad... I wouldn't be surprised if that was what he dreams about. ...I dream about it too sometimes."  
"...Nix."  
"No Raposa should be forced to suffer like this... Especially not us."  
"Of course not. Dats obvious."  
"I'm glad you think so.... Because I was thinking of something for quite a while now. ...I think we should mo-"  
Isaac came back from the storage room with a hand saw in his hands. "Here's one! Sorry it took so long!" The couple stood in silence. "Um, did I... interrupt something between you two? 'Cause I can... give you some privacy..."  
Bob gave a nervous laugh. He really wanted to know what Nixie was saying, but he also didn't want to be rude to the kid. "Uh... Nah, you're good..."  
Isaac placed the saw on the counter. "That's going to cost 300 rapo coins."  
"Not a bad price..."  
"What can I say? I'm in the mood for giving discounts."  
Bob smiled and began to search for his money pouch. He muttered to himself. "...rapo..."  
"Something wrong?"  
"Ugh.... Left my coins at home..."  
"...Well, I can hold it for you until you're able to pay."  
"...Thanks. You're a good man Isaac."  
"Oh it's no problem."  
Nixie raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be is an unusually good mood. Normally, you act much more.... miserly."  
"Miserly?"  
Bob shook his head. "Oh no..."  
"Miserly!? You think I'm some greedy miser!?"  
"Um... I didn't mean..."  
"It's... It's okay. Everyone thinks that. ....Everyone but Mya."  
"Oh, you're still with that girl?"  
Isaac ignored Nixie. "...She's the only opinion that really matters." He blushed and grinned at the thought of her.  
Bob chuckled to himself. "Ah, young love. I used to be exactly like that." He looked at Nixie and blushed a little. "...Okay, I guess I never really changed after all..."  
Nixie smiled a little. It seemed she heard him. "Haha... Goodbye Isaac. Good luck with Mya."  
"Alright then... Come again!"  
Nixie waved goodbye to Isaac and left the shop with her husband.

Bob wrapped his arm around her as they walked back home. "So... What were ya saying back at the shop?"  
"I... Nothing. It wasn't really something I wanted to do anyway..." Her eyes watered a little. 'I don't want to leave this place... It took so long to love it. It's my home now... There is no way I could ever let this go... But eventually I'll need to...'  
"...Nix? ...You okay?"  
"Wilfre... that... THAT EVIL MAN. He..."  
"It's okay Nix. It'll be okay."  
"...I hope so."

Back at the house, Polly and Hunter were home alone. Polly was still sitting at the table with Bongo in her arms. Hunter however, was staring out the window. It seemed like he wanted to go somewhere. "..." 'I have to go back... There's no way I can get this off my chest without going to the Twilite Wood. Now that they're gone, I think now is the perfect time.' He walked out the door and left the house.  
Polly saw Hunter leave. She knew exactly where he was headed. "The Twilite Wood huh? It's been quite a while since last time..." She looked at Bongo. "...Wait, you've never been to the Twilite Wood before?"  
She made the doll shake it's head no.  
"It's something everyone has to see! It's so pretty... I kinda miss it." She frowned. She really did enjoy that day in the Twilite Wood. Well, until the end of it anyway. 'It would be nice if I could go back again...' Suddenly, she had an idea. "Hey! We should follow him! What do you think Bongo? Wanna see the Twilite Wood?"  
"..."  
"Awesome! Let's catch up to him!" Polly, carrying Bongo in her arms, left the house and caught up to Hunter. "Hey Hunter!"  
Hunter's eyes widened. 'RAPO. What is she doing out here!?' "..."  
"Where are you going?"  
Hunter didn't look at her. He just kept walking. "..."  
"Mind if I join you?"  
"..."  
"Bongo hasn't been yet, and I thought he'd like to see it. Wouldn't you, Bongo?"  
"..."  
"Hunter, come on! I know I already went, but that's not fair to Bongo! I mean, look at this face! He deserves to see it!" She raised Bongo to Hunter's eye level. Almost shoving it in his face.  
Hunter, unable to stand Bongo's face, looked away. His eyes were getting misty. "..."  
Polly caught up to Hunter and clung onto his arm. "Come on, Hunter! I just wanna see it again! Pleeeease?"  
Tears fell from Hunter's eyes. The thought of Polly getting hurt again made his heart ache. 'No... I can't let anything like that happen again. I can't!' Hunter pushed Polly away from him. Hard. "..."  
Polly stood in place, shocked. This isn't something Hunter would do. "What the Rapo Hunter!?! What is wrong with you?!"  
Hunter took a few steps forward and stopped. The Twilite Wood wasn't far away, but every bone in Hunter's body wanted to scream. "...Go home, Polly."  
"...Why? I mean, it's not like I'm all by mysel-"  
"Just go!"  
"Hunter! What's the big deal?"  
Hunter turned around to face Polly. Tears poured down his cheeks. "Why can't you just leave me alone!?"  
"Hunter..."  
"I'm sorry... but I just can't take you again. ...Okay?"  
"Why? Don't you want me around?"  
"I... Yeah, but..."  
"Then let me go with you!"  
"No. No! No, I can't! I won't! You don't get it.... You don't get anything!!"  
"Why would I!? You're making zero sense!"  
"...You don't remember it... do you?"  
"I remember you being a real crybaby!"  
"Cry...baby?" Hunter's face was red from crying so hard. "...That's not true."  
"Yes it is! You're acting like that right now!"  
Hunter watched his eyes fill with even more tears. He covered his face with his hand. "......You got really hurt Polly. ...I can't let that happen again."  
"Hurt? I got... Hurt? I don't remember that."  
Hunter nodded. 'She didn't remember back then either...' "You did... I swear you did..."  
"...How?"  
"You got hurt by..." His eyes moved straight to Bongo. As soon as Polly got attacked by that rabbit, she wanted to make a doll that looked like it. Hunter averted his eyes and pointed at Bongo. "...him."  
"What!?! He's harmless! Stop lying to me!!"  
"I'm not..."  
"I get it now... You're jealous!"  
"Wha?"  
"That's right! I know how you feel about Bongo! You don't like him at all! You don't like him being my best friend! You want him to just go away forever, don't you!?"  
Hunter thought to himself. As much as he didn't like it, what Polly said was true. "...Polly."  
"Well, unlike you, I like him! He's the most understanding friend I ever had! I can't believe you'd just blame him for something that didn't even happen!!"  
"Well I'm sorry, but something DID happen! And I'm ALSO sorry that you made me think you were DEAD!"  
"Hunter..." 'He's... really upset. But... That's impossible. How can a cute little thing like Bongo hurt anything? I don't even remember anything like that.' "...What kind of story did you make up in your head?"  
"I didn't make it up! Polly! Listen to me! You're never going back in that gate with me ever again!" Hunter forced himself to turn around and walk closer to the forest gate.  
Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms. "Never? What do you mean 'never again'?!"  
"It means go home!! You're not going anywhere!!!"  
"..."  
"LEAVE ALREADY!!!"  
"Stop being mean! I'm telling mom and dad when they get back! Then you can't go anymore either!!"  
"....You know what? Go ahead! GO RIGHT AHEAD! IF THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T JOIN ME, I DON'T THINK I CARE!! PLEASE. GO AND TELL MOM AND DAD! SEE IF I CARE!!!"  
Polly was shocked. Hunter used to love the Twilite Wood with a passion. She knew how much heart he put into his little hideout. Seeing him willingly give it all up sounded more than wrong. 'He really doesn't want me in there...' Polly could sense that he really cared about her, but hearing him yell at her like that put Polly in a state of rage. "...FINE!! I THINK I WILL!!! NOW GO IN THOSE STUPID WOODS! YOU LOVE IT SOOO MUCH... JUST LIVE IN THERE WITH YOUR OWN KIND YOU STUPID BAKI!!!!!"  
Hunter shook in place. He always thought of baki as smart little creatures. But the way Polly said that, it felt real. 'She... She really thinks of me like that?' Hunter couldn't control his eyes. The tears rolled down onto his chin. "...I ...uh..." He ran to the gate and pushed through it, in a hurry to leave.  
Polly looked at the gate, feeling a little bad about what she said. "...Come on Bongo. Let's go home. Hunter needs some time alone..."

Hunter rushed through the Twilite Wood. His eyes were on fire. The familiar trail he was traveling seemed like a pathway to doom.  
He passed by a thick stump overgrown with mushrooms and moss. He glared at it for not giving him any luck.  
Hunter quickly moved on from the stump and headed to his hideout. Once he got to the familiar clearing, Hunter looked at the sky. It was very colorful, yet it seemed different somehow. Like something was wrong. Hunter looked at his surroundings. Everything was the same as it was all those months ago. Even the plate of cookies and fruit was still there. Hunter picked up the single cookie off the plate and took a bite. He was hoping it would help him calm down. He immediately spat it out. "Bleck!! Why'd I do that!?!"  
He sat the cookie back on the plate and looked at the line of bushes. Tucked between the branches was a worn little notebook. Hunter pulled out the notebook and flipped through it. At first, the pages reminded Hunter of the good times he had in the Twilite Wood. The smartest baki... even the flying nut rat made him laugh. But then he got to the last pages he worked on.  
There was a crude drawing of a round rabbit creature with long ears. It looked very similar to Bongo. The creature was titled 'Rabbit Doll'. The notes about it mentioned how it hopped around and looked very similar to a child's cute little doll. The handwriting was much more scribbly than the handwriting in the rest of the book. Hunter frowned. As soon as he stopped writing, Polly was attacked by the rabbit creature. 'And then... And then...'  
He grabbed a hold of the page and tore it out of the book. He crumpled up the page in his hand and threw it on the ground. "That thing... Why did it do that...?"  
Frustrated, Hunter began to tear the rest of the pages out of the book. "What did she do to deserve that!?!" He continued to destroy his hard work. "I should've just tried harder! But I didn't! And I can't take it back!!"  
He threw the book on the ground and stomped on it. "Stupid Twilite Wood... I should've never brought her here!"  
He kicked the remains of the book away into the trees. "...I thought you were my friend! I thought you had my back!! I thought I could TRUST YOU!!!!"  
He knocked over the stool holding the plate of stale goodies. Kori fruit was all over the ground. "YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT HER! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT?!?! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!! I...."

He looked around. Everything was a mess. Every bit of anger Hunter had in his body was gone. Hunter began to tear up. "...I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean that." He sat on the ground nearby the bushes. "...I know you didn't make that happen, I just... I just want her to be okay. ...I want everyone to be okay." The grass rubbed against Hunter's legs. It was as if the Twilite Wood was trying to apologize. "...It's okay. I forgive you. ...But I think I need a break. ...I just can't be here right now."  
He looked at the spot where Polly once laid unconscious. He quickly looked away from the memory. "...I don't think I'll be back any time soon... "

A gust of freezing air passed through Hunter. It felt as if the Twilite Wood was telling Hunter to leave. As soon as wind arrived, it left. The air was now extremely stiff. It was almost getting harder to breathe.  
Hunter got up from the ground. Something was DEFINITELY wrong. 'I gotta get out of here!!!'  
He began to walk toward the exit, but stopped almost immediately. His pathway out was now coated in darkness. 'I... I've seen this before...'  
He backed away from the darkness, unsure of what to do next. The shadowy wall was starting to creep in closer. Hunter took a deep breath and began to run away from the darkness. The wall was growing faster and faster. Hunter quickly reached the line of bushes. Not having much of a choice, he jumped over the bushes and landed on the ground. "Ow!" He scrambled off of the ground and continued to run.

There was no other living creatures around. Hunter was on his own. He ran through the trees as fast as his little legs could go. 'Go left! Go right! Up that hill! Down that slope!' The gooey darkness was showing no signs of slowing down.  
Hunter was starting to get extremely tired of running. His legs began to turn into jelly. After what seemed to be hours of running, Hunter finally gave in to his lack of energy. He collapsed onto the ground.  
He turned around, expecting to meet his doom. But strangely enough, the shadow wasn't near Hunter at all. "I'm... Alive?"  
He looked around. The darkness was there alright, but it wasn't moving any further. It was as if something was preventing the darkness from moving any further. Hunter let out a sigh of relief. "It's... It's over."  
He hugged his knees and stared at the sky. It didn't have as much color as it used to. "What am I going to do now? I can't just go back..." He looked at the ground. "....I can't go back. ...I'm stuck here." He buried his head in his hands. "I can't believe this... I'll never go home again..." He began to cry. "This was a big mistake.... I shouldn't have come here! ...Mom. ...Dad. ...Polly. ...I'm sorry. ...I'm going to die out here and it's all my fault..." Hunter squeezed his eyes shut and sobbed.

Polly was back home with Bongo, sitting at the kitchen table. "That dumb Baki... I can't believe he'd say that about you."  
"..."  
"...What do you mean you're not surprised?"  
"..."  
"I know he cares about me... But that's no reason to act like some Baki!"  
"..."  
"I don't know... I guess not."  
"..."  
"I... I don't feel bad... Not at all. He deserved it."  
"..."  
"Bongo... Don't look at me like that..."  
Nixie opened the front door and entered the house. "We're back!"  
"Hi Mom. ...Where's the groceries?"  
"...Groceries?"  
"...Didn't you say you were getting groceries?"  
"I... Um..."  
Bobbery entered the doorway. "We left da rapo coins here."  
"...Yes! That's right! We had to come back and get the money we needed." Nixie looked around the house. Hunter was nowhere to be seen. "Polly, where's your brother?"  
Polly looked at the table. "...How should I know?"  
"Ya didn't catch him leavin?"  
"Yeah, but..." 'I can't just tell them what happened! Hunter would get even more upset... I don't even know how to start...' "...He didn't tell me where he was going."  
Nixie grew flustered. "Where on earth can he be?! I told him not to leave the house! Hunter was never the type to disobey like this... What could have made him leave!?" She shook her head. Her eyes were misty. "...I have to go find him!" She tried to rush outside, but Bob stopped her.  
"Nix, calm down."  
"But Bobby!"  
"Nix. Listen to me Nix! He's done this before. He goes missin, and comes back out of nowhere. It may take a while, but he'll come back. He always does. And when he does, we demand where he's been. Okay?"  
"...Bobby."  
Bob found his coin pouch on top of the dresser and picked it up. "Imma go back to Isaac's and pay him back. Take care of Polly while I'm gone. Okay Nix?"  
"...Okay. Let me know if you see him."  
"Of course." He nodded and walked out the the door.

Bob walked out of Isaac's shop with a new hand saw in his... well hand. He was on his way home when he saw a tired Cricket.  
"Cricket! What you doin out n about?"  
Cricket panted. "I... I should ask you the same question. You know how bad things are getting..."  
"I was at Isaac's. ...Did somethin happen?" 'Please let Hunter be okay...'  
"The darkness just swallowed another section of the village! The Forest Gate is now out of our reach. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the station went under soon. ...Are you alright Bob?" Bob began to hyperventilate. "Bob?"  
"...Hunter! ...Hunter's missing!!"  
Cricket's eyes widened. "That can't be good. I'll start an investigation right away!"  
"Th...thank you! ...Good luck!" Bob ran back home as fast as he could.

He slammed open the door. "Nix!"  
"Bobby! Where is he!?"  
"I dunno... but ya gotta hear this!! The shadow's getting real close now!"  
"What!?"  
"I saw it on the way here Nix! The entire Forest Gate is gone!!"  
Polly's eyes were wide. 'Hunter! Hunter's in there!!!' "What!?! Hunter... Is he going to be okay!?!"  
"Cricket's investigating now. If anyone's gonna find him, it's him."  
Polly looked away. 'He can't help him... He's not here... I can't believe that was the last thing I said to him... This can't be real... It can't be.' Polly squeezed Bongo to her chest.  
"..."  
"It's okay Bongo... It's okay... It's okay....."

A leaf baki was wondering the woods in search of food. The sudden spread of shadow forced him, his family, and friends to stay in the secluded place they called home.  
The baki heard a strange noise. It didn't sound like a baki at all. Curious, the baki headed towards the sound and saw something familiar. Or rather... someONE. A small Raposa boy with light fur was the source of the noise.  
The baki was startled. 'A Raposa!? Here!? ...Is it going to eat me?!' The baki quickly hid behind a nearby tree and looked at the Raposa. The boy had his head buried in his knees. It sounded like he was crying. It was clear he wasn't looking for a baki to eat. The baki walked up to the Raposa. As he got closer, the Raposa became more and more familiar. 'Have I seen this Raposa before? ...I have!' The baki bumped into the Raposa, hoping to get his attention. Hunter paid no attention to the baki. He was too busy crying his eyes out.  
The baki tried again.  
"...I'm sorry. Just... go away..."  
The baki tried once more.  
"What did I just...." Hunter looked up from his knees and saw two white eyes staring at him. "Aah!" He jumped back, startled. "Don't eat me!!" Hunter looked at the creature who bumped into him. It was just a little baki.  
The baki was startled by Hunter's sudden shouts.  
Hunter laughed to himself. "Haha... you're just as scared as I am. ...I'm sorry I scared you." Hunter slowly reached out to the fidgeting baki and began to pet it.  
The baki soon began to calm down. It walked towards Hunter and rubbed against his legs.  
Hunter smiled. "You're him, aren't you? The smartest baki..."  
The baki chirped at Hunter. It wasn't completely sure what he meant, but he was sure he saw this Raposa before. Even if he didn't remember where. All he knew was this raposa was a good guy.  
Hunter wiped the tears from his eyes. "...Thanks. I could use a friend right now."  
The baki began to walk away.  
"Hey! Where are you going?" Hunter got off the ground and followed his new friend.

The baki brought the little Raposa to his home. It was an entire baki village. "Woah. Look at all of this. ...You live here?"  
The baki continued to walk through the village, giving Hunter a tour of sorts. The other baki gave Hunter confused and worried glances, but after a while, they became convinced that Hunter was harmless.  
At the end of the day, the baki brought Hunter to a tiny hut in the village. "...Is this your house? I didn't know baki had houses." Hunter yawned. It was a very eventful day for him. "So... Do you... Have a bed.. I can use...?"  
The baki walked on to a small cushion-like object and plopped onto it.  
"...Oh. I guess not..."  
The baki looked at Hunter. It felt a little sorry for him.  
Hunter's eyes were getting really heavy. He couldn't stay awake much longer. He could feel his legs getting weaker and weaker. He was about to fall asleep standing up when he heard the baki chirp at him. After finding some balance, Hunter saw the baki standing in front of him. The cushion was empty. "Did... Did you... get off of that thing... for me?"  
The baki nudged Hunter toward the cushion.  
"Okay! Okay! I'm walking." Hunter sat on top of the cushion. It was bigger and softer than he thought it would be. "..This is nice...."  
The baki stared at Hunter.  
"What? ...are you tired too?" Hunter picked up the baki and placed him onto his lap.  
The baki made himself comfortable and began to rest it's eyes.  
Hunter smiled. "Maybe everything is going to turn out after all..." Hunter closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	9. The Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, each chapter will either be focused on Polly and her family or focused on Hunter and the Baki. 
> 
> This chapter is a Polly and family chapter.

It's been almost a month since Hunter vanished from the Raposa Village. Cricket and the other villagers searched as hard they could, but Hunter was nowhere to be found. With the sudden spread of darkness, most of the village assumed that he was trapped within the shadow. His family tried to stay hopeful, but they just couldn't shake the idea that Hunter was gone forever. Everyone just felt awful.

Bob and Nixie were always searching for their son. Even after everyone else gave up. They were beginning to lose all hope in Hunter. Nixie always had her heart on her sleeve. It didn't take much for her to start bawling over her child. Bob however, wasn't as emotional. He did whatever he could to hide his feelings in front of other Raposa. The two began to grow a little distant because of it.

Polly was sitting at the kitchen table with Bongo on her lap. Her brother was gone, and she felt guilty for his disappearance. 'I should've stopped him! I should've ran after him and brought him back! But instead I call him a baki and tell him to leave!'  
"..."  
'Yeah, I'm okay. ...I guess.'  
"..."  
'...You're right. I'm not okay. ...I could've prevented this.'  
"..."  
'What do you mean I couldn't have done anything?!'  
"..."  
'I guess that's true... I still feel bad though. I could've been nicer to him...'  
"..."  
'I guess we were both being mean... I mean, he was kinda rude to you.'  
"..."  
'I don't know what you did to him either. ...I guess I'll never find out now.'  
"..."  
'...You really think I'll see him again?' Polly made Bongo nod. '....I dunno if you're right, but...' Polly squeezed Bongo in a tight hug. "Thank you. You've helped me so much... I'm glad you're my friend."

Suddenly, Polly heard arguing outside of the house. It was her parents.  
"...Wha?! Nix, ya can't be serious!"  
"Of course I am serious! This is easily the best thing we can do right now."  
"But Nix! What about our home? And the house!? We worked so hard on that house!!"  
"You must be joking! A house? You're upset... OVER SOME HOUSE?!"  
"You know It's not just the house!!! I remember back when..."  
"Oh I see how it is! You can't STAND the thought of loosing a house, but YOUR SON vanishes out of NOWHERE and you don't shed a single tear!! PERFECTLY UNDERSTANDABLE!"  
"NIX!! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE ABOUT THE KID!"  
"OH REALLY!? HOW COME YOU NEVER SHOW IT?"  
"I DO!! BUT YA DON'T SEE IT!!! AND ALL CAUSE YOU'RE IN YOUR OWN LITTLE WORLD."  
"I'M in my own world?! I can say the same to you!!! YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF FACING THE REAL WORLD FOR WHAT IT IS!! YOU LIVE INSIDE OF A BUBBLE TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ANYTHING GOING WRONG!!!"  
"Nix..."  
"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST POP THAT BUBBLE AND FACE THE FACTS!? EITHER WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS, OR WE DIE TRYING TO STAY HERE."  
"I know Nix. But..."  
"LISTEN TO ME BOBBY!!! STAYING IS NOT GOING TO BRING HIM BACK! HUNTER'S.....G-" She started to tear up. "Hunter...."  
"I...I know Nix. He's.... He's gone."  
"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT!?!? HE COULD STILL BE AROUND!! HE'S FINE!!! I.... I...... I'M GOING TO CHECK WITH THE MAYOR AGAIN!!" She started to walk to the Village Hall when she noticed that Bob wasn't following her. "You're... not going with me?"  
Bob shook his head. He didn't want to be told that Hunter was still missing. "....I'm just tired dats all. Go on without me."  
"...Alright then." Nixie looked back at Bob and reluctantly left without him.  
As soon as he knew Nixie wasn't looking anymore, Bob barged though the front door. His eyes were just about ready to give in. Polly watched her father march into the house. "...Dad?" Bob didn't notice her and kept moving. He plopped down onto what used to be Hunter's bed and buried his face in his hands. Polly, concerned about her dad, walked up to him. Now that she was closer, she could hear the sound of him crying. "....Dad?"  
Bob looked up from his hands in shock. His face was a nice shade of pink. "P-Polly!! I um... I wasn't....."  
Polly gave him a concerned stare. "Dad..."  
"I was just takin a short rest, dats all!" He forced a smile. "No need to worry!"  
"Dad... Stop."  
"Stop? Stop what?"  
"You're lying to me."  
"Wha? Why the rapo would I do dat to ya? You're my best daughter!"  
Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms. "..."  
"What? You don't think I got another daughter do ya?" He joked.  
Polly half smiled. "I guess not... But Hunter was pretty close..."  
Bob tried to let out a small laugh, but ended up pushing out even more tears. "...Aw, Hunter...." The tears poured onto his cheeks. "....you were the only son I've ever had....."  
"Dad...."  
Bob looked at Polly, remembering that she was there. "N...not that you're not tremendous..."  
"I know... It's okay...." She sat down next to her dad. "...Nice word by the way."  
Bob smiled. "....Thanks. I...I try." He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. "...What are ya doin here?.... I thought you were with one of your friends."  
"...I am." She patted Bongo on the head. She mumbled to herself. '...A lot of my rapo friends moved away anyway...'  
"...Oh. Sorry. Just... Thought you were somewhere else."  
"....Hey Dad?"  
"...Hm?"  
"...I can leave if you want... I don't mind at all." 'It sounds like he wanted to be alone...'  
"Polly... You're fine. Besides, you got nobody else to watch ya." 'Wouldn't wanna loose both my kids...'  
"...Are you sure Dad?"  
".....Yeah. I'm sure." 'It kinda felt nice... Being able to cry in front of someone for once... Kinda wish it wasn't in front of my kid though...'  
"....Dad."  
"Hm?"  
"I... Never mind."  
"...You alright there Polly?"  
Polly squeezed Bongo for comfort. She did her best to fight back her tears. "...."  
"....Ya can let it out if ya need to."  
"...No. ...No I'm okay."  
"...Ya sure?" 'She sure don't SOUND okay...'  
"...Y-yeah."  
Bob pulled in Polly for a hug. "It okay..."  
"Dad...."  
"I know... I miss him too... It... It ain't gonna be the same without him......" He started crying again. "I...I wanna say he's gonna be back, but..." Bob got caught up in a sob. He just couldn't finish that thought.  
Polly heard her father cry right over her shoulder. His sobs were loud. He wasn't holding back at all anymore. The sound of her dad crying made Polly's eyes misty. 'Come on, Polly. Be the strong one here...' She blinked the tears away and sniffled. "....It's okay dad. It's okay."  
"...I...I...I'm so sorry... I didn't want ya to see this..."  
"...I know dad."  
"...Y...you shouldn't have to go through dis... Nobody should..."  
"Dad... It's okay... Hunter would've cried just as much if he were in your shoes."  
"Haha... course he would...." He sighed. "...B-but that don't make this okay... There's too much darkness 'round us... It... It making everything wrong.... Everyone's gone out their mind.... I... I didn't get it.... Not 'till now..... I... I... I... Don't want it to end dis way... Creator... I... I dunno if you're there... B...But don't take him! P... please...." He continued to cry with Polly in his arms.  
Polly was getting really upset. 'I've... never seen dad act like this before... This is serious... Hunter's in real trouble... He might not even come back... What are we going to do if he doesn't come back?!' She thought to herself. '...But it's okay still! Hunter could still be out there somewhere! He has to be! There's no other way!' Polly smiled a little. She still had a little hope left. "...Dad! It's okay! Everything's okay!"  
"..."  
"He's okay!"  
Bob was caught by surprise. "W...what?"  
"Hunter's okay! I mean, yeah he's trapped, but... If we send someone in there, we can get him out!"  
"Polly..."  
"Then we can..."  
Bob let go of her. "Polly, I know ya mean well. But dat ain't happening."  
"Why not!?"  
"...Dat stuff... Is... Real bad."  
"I know, but..."  
"REALLY BAD. ...I am NOT letting anyone get hurt from dat... filth! You understand?!"  
Polly frowned. She really wanted to go through with her plan. "Oh.... Okay." 'Now what? There's no way Hunter can rescue himself... And if dad won't let me, nobody will...' She sighed. 'It's all up to me now... I'm the only one who knows where he is, I'm the only one willing to try, and... It's my responsibility. After all, we are related. ...But how am I going to sneak out?' She glanced at the door. All she had to do is leave the house unnoticed. Then she looked at her dad. After Polly revealed her idea, Bob became anxious.  
'...There's no way I'm gonna let her get away from me. I am NOT gonna lose her too.' He didn't look like he was going to lose sight of her anytime soon.  
Polly looked at Bongo, who was sitting on her lap. 'I dunno what to do! Any ideas?'  
"..."  
'Of course! I need to distract him! ...But how?' She looked at her dad, thinking of how to distract him. She sighed. "...Sorry dad. I didn't really mean that. I just... miss him."  
"...Its okay. I get it." Bob looked at the floor. "...Don't know why you wouldn't."  
"...You okay Dad?"  
"..."  
"...You know, whenever I feel bad, I just talk to Bongo. And every time I do, I feel a lot better." She smiled. "He always knows what to say to me..."  
Bob raised his head a little. "...Really?"  
Polly nodded. "If you want, I can give you one of my animals to talk to."  
Bob smiled. "Dats real sweet of ya to offer..." He patted Polly's head. "Sure."  
Polly got off of the bed and looked for a toy she wouldn't mind loosing. She came across a tiny stuffed mouse. 'I don't even remember having this...' She walked back to her dad and handed him the mouse. "Here. This'll do."  
Bob looked at the mouse in awe. "I thought dis thing was a goner..." He laughed. "Your mom and me got you this when you were a baby... Ya weren't interested in it very long though." He looked at Polly. "...Ya sure you want me to keep this?"  
Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms and nodded. "You deserve it. It means more to you than it did to me anyway."  
"Thanks Polly. I'll take good care of him." He looked back at the doll in his hands. "...So, hey. Don't know if ya recognise me... I'm da rapo who brought ya here... Name's Bob. ...Bobbery for long. But Bob's better. Haha... Just realized... I dunno your name. I never thought to ask till now... Did... Anyone ever give ya one? ...Sorry bout dat. Not really the namin type. So don't ask me to give ya one..."  
"..."  
"...Guess ya want a name anyway. Okay... Uh... Matt. Matt da mouse. ...Sorry if ya don't like it."  
"..."  
"Thanks. Glad it suits ya. ...I think we're gonna get along fine! ...Whata you think Polly?" He looked at where Polly once stood. She was nowhere to be seen. "Polly!? POLLY!!!" He tossed the animal into the bed, and dashed to the door. "Where the rapo is she!? Uggghh... She tricked me!! Why'd I take my eye off her!?!" He frantically looked around for her, but there was no sign of Polly. "Rapo! Why'd I have to lose her!? She's the only kid I got left... If it weren't for her and Nix I'd be... NIX!!! I HAVE TO FIND NIX!" He ran as fast as he could to the Village Hall.

Nixie frowned at the mayor. "Nothing? ..Are you positive?"  
The Mayor nodded. "I'm afraid so... There's not much we can do to find him... I don't have much choice but to call off the investigation."  
"No! You can't! We cannot give up on him! Please! Let us continue just a little longer!!"  
The Mayor frowned. "...I'm very sorry. But I cannot risk the village for a single child."  
"Ughh! You don't know how it feels to have someone you love vanish before your eyes!!"  
The mayor's eyes widened. He did know what it felt like to lose someone. 'My love... I haven't seen her face in a long time...' He sighed. "...I'm very sorry. I'd help you if I could. I really want to. But i can't. Please try to understand..."  
Nixie turned away from him. "...I suppose I'll have to search for him on my own then!" 'No wonder everyone is leaving. He won't even listen to me!' "Good day!" She began to walk away when she saw Bob run up to her. "...Bobby?"  
Bob put his hands on her shoulders and tried to catch his breath. "...P....Polly..... Polly's gone..."  
"What!?"  
Bob let go of her. "She.... She ain't home!! I looked all over!"  
"Please be joking! I thought you were looking after her!"  
"I... I was. I'm sorry! But that don't matter now! We gotta look for her!"  
Nixie looked at the Mayor. "...Surely you'll allow us to search for our daughter?"  
The Mayor was shocked. "Of... Of course! ...I never said you couldn't!"  
"Of course you didn't..."  
"I'll have a word with Cricket about Polly. You two can go home and see if she turns up." Nixie grimaced in disapproval. "Home? You're expecting us to just wait around in the comfort of our own home!? Mayor, I..."  
Bob placed his hand on her shoulder and interrupted. "Thank ya Mayor. I know ya got a lot going on... Make sure she's found soon, alright?"  
The Mayor nodded. "Of course. I'll speak with Cricket immediately."  
"Thanks again. Take care Mayor."  
Bob motioned Nixie to follow him back home. "Come on Nix. Let's go."  
Nixie glared at the mayor before following her husband home. "Bobby, what are you doing?! We shouldn't go home now! We have to search!!"  
"Nix... We've been workin too hard already. Besides, Cricket's got this. He'll find her."  
"Do you mean the same way he found Hunter? I'm afraid to say it, but he hasn't."  
He sighed. "...I know."  
The two finally made it to the house. "Bobby, just let us take one look around!" Bob didn't respond, and opened the door. "...Fine then. Since you LOVE your house so much, I guess I'll have to look for OUR babies on my own!" Nixie was about to leave, when Bob grabbed her arm. "Bobby! Let go of me!"  
Bob's eyes were watery. "No! I'm not losing you too!!" Tears ran down to his cheeks. He let go of her. "I... I can't... I'm sorry... I should've paid more attention to them... Maybe then it'd all be fine..."  
Nixie was a little shocked. Bob barely showed any emotion in front of her after Hunter's disappearance. Seeing him this upset made her worry. "Bobby... It's okay." She hugged him tightly. "...I'm still with you. ...We'll see them again, I know it."  
"...Ya think so?"  
She wasn't sure what she thought, but she nodded anyway. "I do." She let go of him. "Come on, let's head inside for now."

Polly ran as fast as she could. 'I gotta do this quick before I get caught!!' She stopped at the wall of darkness. It felt like Hunter disappeared just the day before. After he entered the Forest Gate, the darkness covered it and trapped him inside. "Hunter..." She looked at the gooey darness. It definitely wasn't something she wanted to touch. 'Maybe I can call out to him?' She took a deep breath before stepping forward. "Hunter? ...Hunter!? Hunter, can you hear me?! Where are you?!?!" There was no response from the darkness. Polly sighed. 'Either this darkness is soundproof, or he's too far away. ...I didn't want to have to do this, but... I have to.' Polly stepped even closer to the dark wall of clouds, preparing to enter it. 

Cricket rushed into his station, out of breath. 'I cant believe this... ANOTHER raposa has to go missing?!' A young rapo boy sat at the counter, eating from a box of donuts. "Lil Deputy!"  
"Mmff!?" The boy jumped in his seat. He stuffed the donut in his mouth. "I waa..nt ehhn nothin!"  
"This is serious, deputy! I have to go investigate the whereabouts of a Polly Builde."  
"N'other Builde?"  
Cricket nodded. "You're in charge of the station while I'm out."  
"Alright sir!" As soon as he saw Cricket walk out of the station, the Junior Deputy laid back in his chair and ate another donut. "Good... A day off..."  
All of a sudden, Cricket marched back inside and walked up to the counter. He grabbed a donut out of the box. "...I'm going to need this." He took a bite out of the donut as he left the station.

Cricket finished the donut as he walked through the village. 'This is getting bad... If I can't catch a thief, there's no way I'm going to find this kid...' He looked at the darkness surrounding the village. '...I don't have a lot of time left... There's no possible way I can manage to protect anyone...' He looked up at where the forest gate used to be. His eyes widened. 'No way...'  
Polly stood near the darkness, holding Bongo by one of his ears. 'Don't worry Hunter. I'm on my way.' Polly began to reach her arm forward the darkness. She was just about the touch it when she felt someone grab her other arm. "Aaah!" She dropped Bongo in shock. Polly turned her head to see Officer Cricket clutching her arm. "Ow!"  
"Sorry kid. I have to take you home. It's too dangerous here." Cricket began to pull Polly's arm away from the wall, but Polly resisted.  
"But! But Hunter!! I gotta help him!!"  
"...Sorry kid. I cannot let that happen." Cricket continued to drag Polly away from the darkness.  
Polly dragged her feet the entire time. "No! NO!! You can't do this to me!" Cricket sighed and continued to drag Polly away. The dark wall was getting more and more distant. Polly did everything she could to go back, but nothing seemed to work. Cricket was too strong. 'No... I failed..." She sighed to herself. '...At least I have you, Bongo. ...Bongo?' She looked down at her other hand and noticed it was empty. Polly began to panic. "Bongo. ...Where's Bongo?" She looked back at the wall once more. This time she noticed Bongo on the ground. The doll was extremely close to the ever expanding darkness. 'No!! He's the best friend I have! I can't lose him too!' "BONGO NO!!!" Polly began to fight back harder than she had before. Cricket's arm got pulled by Polly's attempt to break free.  
'What the?! Where did all of this strength come from?!' He tried to pull her away, but ended up being catapulted to the ground.  
As soon as Cricket's hand slipped from her arm, Polly ran as fast as her legs could take her. "BONGO! HANG ON!"  
Cricket immediately got off the ground and ran after the little rapo. "Stop right there!!"  
Something within Polly made her able to outrun the officer. As she got close, she saw the darkness creeping even closer to Bongo. "NO!!!" She threw herself onto the ground and quickly grabbed the doll. She was out of breath. "It's okay... It's okay Bongo..." She looked up at the darkness. It was getting dangerously close to her. Polly wanted to get up and flee, but her body shook in fear instead. 'This... This can't be the end... It can't be!' She squeezed Bongo extremely hard and cried. Every bone in her body focused on comforting her friend. Bongo was the one friend Polly knew she could count on. She just couldn't stand being without the doll by her side. The doll absorbed Polly's love and tears as the shadow grew near. Everything was ending before Polly's eyes. ...Or so she thought.  
Cricket ran as fast as he could. 'I am NOT going to give up on this kid. Not now.' He stopped and began to pick up the crying rapogirl.  
Polly opened her eyes at the feeling of someone picking her up. "...W-Wha?" The darkness quickly jumped toward Cricket and Polly. Polly screamed before fainting out of fear.  
Cricket did everything he could to leave the area with Polly in his arms. As soon as he was a safe distance away, he looked down at the girl in his arms. She held the same rabbit doll she risked her life for. Cricket sighed. "...I saved someone." He rushed back to Polly's home.

Back at the house, Nixie was standing near the door, impatiently tapping her foot. "...Bobby. I think we have waited long enough. Let me search for her..."  
Bob shook his head. "I know ya want her back soon... I do too... But Nix, It hasn't been dat long... Give Cricket a chance."  
"How!? How am I supposed to do that when he is unable to find our little boy!?"  
Bob hugged Nixie from behind. "...I know. Just... Wait a bit more. Do it for me okay?"  
Nixie nodded. "...Okay. Just a few minutes. No longer than that."  
Bob sighed. "...Nix."  
"...Are you okay?"  
"..."  
"Bobby... I don't want to leave you alone. I really don't. But I can't just sit here forever."  
"...I know. Sorry for being selfish."  
"You are not selfish! I don't want to lose you either. I don't want to lose anyone..." She sighed. "Well, I suppose we have to stick together then."  
Bob smiled. "Dats what I wanted to hear." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'll always stand with you."  
Nixie hugged him in return. "I know. Thank you." After a few minutes of comforting each other, the two Raposa heard a knock at the door. They both jumped and walked up to the door. "Bobby... Do you think it's...?"  
"I dunno..." They stared at each other before hearing another knock. Both of them were afraid of what could be awaiting for them. Bob opened the door to see an exhausted Cricket carrying an unconscious Polly.  
Nixie covered her mouth. "Polly..."  
Cricket stepped inside the house. "She's alright. She just passed out." Cricket's arms were getting weak from carrying her. "...Where should I put her?" Bob motioned Cricket toward Polly's bed. "Thanks Builde." He gently set the girl onto the bed and sighed. 'I really saved her... I didn't think I would, but I did.' "...Would you mind if I had a seat?"  
Nixie shook her head. "Of course not. There are some chairs in the kitchen."  
"Thank you." He sat down at the kitchen table. He seemed very relieved to take a break.  
Bob walked up to him. "Where'd ya find her?"  
Cricket shook his head. "You're not going to believe this... But I found her trying to enter the darkness."  
Nixie gasped. "What!? Why on earth would she do that?"  
Bob remembered what Polly said about saving Hunter. 'That's why she left, ain't it?' "I think I got an idea. ...Cricket. Did she say anythin bout Hunter?"  
Cricket thought for a moment. "...Now that you mention it, I believe she did."  
"Rapo..."  
Nixie looked a little puzzled. "Hunter? What does he have to do with this?"  
Bob shook his head. "Before she left... She told me dat somebody could go in there and get Hunter back..."  
"What!? Bobby! Why didn't you tell me this sooner!?"  
"I... I got distracted..."  
"If you knew this, how could you let her out your sight like that?!"  
"I... I dunno... I wasn't thinkin right... I'm sorry... This is all my fault..."  
"Bobby... You can be so.. so... Ignorant!"  
Cricket got up from his chair. "...I should be going back to my station. Really busy time, you know?" 'These two really don't need me here...' "It was a pleasure being able to help you two."  
Bob was shocked by Cricket's sudden departure. "Oh! Uhhh... Yeah."  
Cricket walked toward the door. "Let me know when the young lady wakes up." "Oh! Of course we will officer." Cricket was about to leave when Bob stopped him.  
"Hey! Cricket? ....Thanks. Ya don't know how much dis means to us."  
Cricket smiled. "No prob Bob." 'I never knew how much I wanted to say that until now...' "Good day you two." Cricket left the house and walked back to his station.  
Bob sighed. "...I'm real sorry Nix. I didn't think she was gonna do dis..."  
"I know. Its okay."  
"No... It ain't okay. I'm nothin but a dumb... Ignore ant baki. ...I know dat much."  
"Bobby... You know I didn't mean that..."  
"I know... But..."  
The two heard Polly rustling the sheets on her bed. She was starting to wake up. "Ughhh... W... Where am I?"  
Bob and Nixie rushed over to Polly's bedside. "Polly!"  
"...Mom? ...Dad?"  
Nixie ran her hand through Polly's hair. "It's okay baby. You're okay. You're home now."  
"...I missed you guys."  
"...We missed you too baby."  
Bob looked at Polly in the eye. "Polly... Why'd you do dis to us? You could've... left us for good..."  
Polly petted Bongo's ears. "I... I'm sorry."  
"Polly. Ya tricked me! Ya make me look away for just a minute, then you're gone! I thought I'd never see ya again!!"  
"Dad... I'm sorry..."  
"Ya should be! Ya really made me upset, Polly."  
"I... I'm really sorry."  
"I know what you were doin. Somebody told me dat ya were tryin to enter da darkness. ...I told ya how bad dat stuff is! And ya go and try to mess with it!!"  
Polly squeezed Bongo. "Dad! I'm... I'm sorry! I am!! I... I just thought... I thought I could help him..."  
"...I know. But that don't make it okay. You understand?"  
Polly nodded. Her eyes were watery. "I miss him so much..."  
"I know, Polly. We all do..." He saw Polly tearing up. "...Ya can cry if ya want to. I won't judge." He smiled.  
Polly shook her head. "C...cry? I... I don't wanna cry... I just want Hunter back!" She covered her entire body with a blanket, and held Bongo close to her chest.  
Nixie tried to take the blanket off of her. "Polly... Please don't act like this..."  
Polly pulled the blanket closer to her face. She was starting to cry, and she didn't want her parents to see. "...Go away! Leave me alone..." The two adults listened to her, and backed away. But not so far that they couldn't see Polly.  
Bob sighed. "...I was too hard on her."  
"No you weren't. She is just..." The word stuck in her throat. "...grieving."  
"Nix... we can't live like this."  
"...I know. We have to tell her..."  
"Wha? Wait. Are ya sayin what I think you're sayin?"  
She nodded. "We cannot avoid this topic any longer. We have to go through with this as soon as possible."  
"I... I get it. But really? Now? Don't ya think we should wait a little bit? Don't wanna overload her..."  
Nixie sighed. "I really don't want to, but..." She looked at Polly. "I don't know how much time we have left... And I know that she is going to try to resist it for as long as possible."  
"...I just hope she don't take it too poorly."  
"...Come on. Let's get this ordeal over with."  
The two walked back over to Polly's bed. She was still under the covers. "..."  
Nixie sat at the end of the bed. "Polly?"  
"...What do you want?"  
"...I just wanted to make sure you were okay..."  
"I'm fine."  
"Well, in that case, can you stop hiding from us?"  
"...I'm not hiding. I just... want privacy... That's all."  
Bob put his hand on Nixie's shoulder. "See? She don't wanna hear dis now..."  
Polly heard what her father said, and lifted the blanket from her face. Her eyes were a little red. "I don't wanna hear what?"  
Nixie paused for a moment. "...Polly, we have something difficult to say to you."  
"...Mom?"  
"...Have I... ever told you the story of how your father and I met?"  
Polly and Hunter have been told this story plenty of times. But another time wouldn't hurt. "Yeah, but go on."  
"...Well, I.... used to live in this gorgeous village called Watersong. Back then, it was the only place I have ever known. I didn't think I would ever leave. ...But one day, I met a traveler..."  
"Wilfre! That bad man who made that gross shadow stuff!"  
"...Yes. Him... But back then, I had no clue how terrible he was. ...I followed that man around the world. I'll be honest... I had a bit of a crush on that man."  
"Ew. No. That's gross!"  
Bob nodded and crossed his arms. "She's right Nix. Dat IS gross."  
Nixie laughed. "Oh, stop it you! There's no need for such jealousy! Now where was I? ...This man, Wilfre, was and is a very bad person. He thought the only Raposa that was worth his time was himself."  
"No!"

"Yes. Throughout our travels, I quickly learned of this man's true nature. I wanted to return home, but he was my only method of travel..."  
"You were stuck with him."  
"Yes. One day, we ended up in a village I've only read in story books. The Raposa Village."  
"That's where we live!"  
"....Y...yes. ...There, I met some of the most friendly Raposa in the world." She looked at her husband. "One of them had brown fur, brown eyes, and the greatest smile. Even though he had never seen me before in his entire life, he treated me with so much kindness. He wasn't fancy, but that didn't stop him from being quite the gentleman. It was clear that he loved me..." She took a hold of Bob's hand. "...And I loved him. And today we love each other more than ever before." Bobbery blushed. He never heard this part of the story before. He didn't know what to say, so he kissed her instead. Nixie giggled as her cheeks turned pink. "Haha... Anyway, I never returned to Watersong. And that does make me sad sometimes. But even if I never get to go back, I'll always be happy. This is my home. Not because of where I am, but because of who I'm with." She kissed Bob on the cheek. "No matter where I am, as long as I'm with my family, I am home."  
"That's sweet mom. But... Why are you telling me this?"  
"....Polly, You know we'll always be here for you. Correct?"  
"...Yeah."  
"And no matter where we go, you will always be home. Correct?"  
Polly began to worry where this conversation was going. "Uh... Yeah..."  
"And if you leave this village and never return, you will still be at home. Is that correct?"  
Polly squeezed Bongo tight. Her eyes were on the verge of tears. This was exactly what she was afraid of. ".....No."  
"Polly?"  
"NO! No! No! No!!"  
"It's okay Polly."  
"I won't do it!!! I'll never leave! You can't make me!!"  
"I'm sorry to say this, but we have to."  
"W...what about Hunter!? We can't leave him!! He's still out there! Why would you abandon him!?! We gotta find him!!!"  
Nixie didn't know how to respond. She wanted Hunter to be okay and she wanted him back, but she knew the odds of finding him were slim to none. She completely broke down and sobbed. Bob wrapped his arm around her. He desperately wanted to cry with her, but he held back. "Polly, your ma and I.... love Hunter a lot.... You n' him mean... SO much to us.... I dunno what I'd do without ya two. But...." He bit his lip. "We can't risk it... Hunter... I dunno what happened to him... But... We stay much longer... Then we'll all get hurt. ...You get hurt. ...Dis is so hard, I know. But... please. Make it easier for us..."  
"Dad... I don't wanna leave..."  
"I don't either. But... I don't think we're gonna find him."  
"But Dad... He's still out there! We... We have to find him..."  
"We got two options Polly. Stay and risk it all, or leave. ...I don't wanna risk losin ya."  
"...It's that bad?"  
Bob nodded. "We're not risking it. We gotta leave, Polly. Sooner the better."  
"...But, where are we going?"  
Bob looked at Nixie, who was still in tears, and back at Polly. "...We dunno."  
"Y... You don't know!? You're making us leave home so we can go wander around homeless!? Is it even safe out there?!"  
Bob sighed. 'Hey, movin wasn't MY idea...' "We dunno... But we might as well find out. Better than sitting here doing nothin."  
"...When are we... leaving?"  
"Dunno. Sometime soon."  
"Soon? Like, tomorrow soon? Don't... Don't I have time to say goodbye?"  
Bob looked back at Nixie, who was looking back at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Nixie wiped her eyes as best as she could. "...Polly, you know we wouldn't do that to you. I... I think we all need a chance to say goodbye. ...After all, this might be the last time we'll see this place."  
"W... Wait. We're never coming back?" Polly started to cry. "Not even after the darkness goes away?"  
"Polly, I... I don't think that will ever go away."  
Polly squeezed Bongo and whimpered. "I... I don't wanna go..."  
Nixie's eyes watered at the sight of Polly in tears. She wrapped her arms around Polly in an effort to comfort her. "I'm here baby, I'm here. I don't want to leave either. Everything is going to be okay..."  
Bob, not wanting to cry, looked away from the two and instead let his eyes wander around the house. But instead of distracting him, a wave of memories came flooding back to him. Hunter and Polly running around the house, Bob's childhood, Bob meeting Nixie on the roof, Nixie staying up all night to make sure baby Hunter was okay, Bob expanding and remodeling the house, making pillow forts, Hunter and Polly disappearing to who knows where, Food fights, and now it's all gone. Bob's eyes filled with tears. 'Rapo...' He looked back at Polly and Nixie. They were so busy crying with each other that they haven't noticed him. 'Ya know, I hate to admit it, but I could really use a good cry right about now.' He walked up to Nixie and Polly and sat next next to them. "..." He pulled both of them into a group hug and began to sob.  
Polly buried her head in Bongo's ears. 'Is... Is this it? Hunter... I was wrong. I'll never see him or anyone here ever again...' The three continued to cry in each other's arms for several long minutes before moving on with their day.


	10. The Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, each chapter will either be focused on Polly and her family or focused on Hunter and the Baki.
> 
> This chapter is a Polly and family chapter.

It has been a couple of months since Polly's attempt to rescue Hunter. Every time the family attempted to leave the village, Polly would make an excuse to not go through with it. Even though Nixie and Bob knew she was trying to delay the move, they allowed it to happen. After all, they didn't want to leave either. In fact, it didn't take long for them to start making excuses as well. The three tried their best to delay the inevitable. And it worked. ...For a while.

Eventually the shadow had spread dangerously close to the house. It was so bad, that the darkness could easily be seen by looking out the window. As much as they didn't want to go, the Raposa didn't have a choice.

Nixie shifted around in her sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about her and her family's future. Bob was beginning to worry as well.

_Nixie and Bob were sitting at a booth in a fancy restaurant. It looked exactly like one of the restaurants at Watersong._   
_Bob looked around in awe. "Cookie's done real good, huh?"_   
_Nixie, who was sitting across from him, smiled. "He really has outdone himself this time." She looked at the booth. There was enough room to fit two more Raposa. Nixie's smile faded. "Where is Polly and Hunter?"_   
_Bob paused for a second and looked at the empty seats. "...Oh. They musta ran off somewhere."_   
_"Shouldn't we look for them?"_   
_Bob shook his head. "Nah... They're fine. They'll be back. Besides..." He held her hand. "I wanna be alone with ya for a while..."_   
_Nixie blushed. "Bobby... I... I think I'd like that."_   
_The two smiled at each other. Bob lifted Nixie's hand to his lips and kissed it. "You're so sweet, Nix. Just can't get enough of ya."_   
_Nixie giggled. "Oh, Bobby..." She looked at the top of Bob's head. His brown fur had a little gray in it. Her eyes widened a little. 'Is... Is his fur turning grey? I've never seen this until now! When did this start? Is he okay?"_   
_Bob noticed Nixie staring at him. "...What? ...Somethin wrong, Nix?"_   
_Nixie continued to think. '...Maybe he's just aging?'_   
_Bob was getting a little concerned. "...Nix?"_   
_Nixie jumped a little. She didn't realize he was talking to her. "Um..." 'I don't want to be rude...' "I'm sorry. I was a little distracted."_   
_"Nah, you're good. Ya startled me a bit though!"_   
_"Haha... Sorry!"_   
_"Dont be! Even da best raposa get distracted."_   
_"Bobby... You're too kind."_   
_"Haha... By the way... What were ya staring at?"_   
_Nixie blushed a little out of embarrassment. "Uh... I... I was staring at you actually." 'Well that isn't a lie...'_   
_Bob sat upright. "Me? Haha..." He blushed a little. "I... I'm flattered... Really am."_   
_Nixie smiled. "Of course I'd stare at you... I don't understand how I couldn't."_   
_Bob's face turned red. "Haha... ya can't be serious!"_   
_"But I am." Nixie glanced at his fur. It was even greyer than before. 'What in the world?! This cannot be normal... I hope he's okay...' "...How are you feeling Bobby?"_   
_Bob was startled by this question. It seemed like it came out of nowhere. "Wha? I'm feelin good... Why ya ask? You okay?"_   
_Nixie was unsure about what to say. "I..." 'Maybe I am imaging things?' "It's nothing. I was just seeing things..."_   
_"Oh..." Bobbery could tell that Nixie was concerned for him. He wasn't sure why though. 'I don't feel like something's wrong... Should I? ...I guess I kinda do feel a bit different though...'_

_The food arrived at the table. Nixie began to eat the food in front of her. 'Ah... I haven't tasted this dish for the longest time...' "Bobby, you should try this! It's so exquisite!"_   
_Bob stared at the food in front of him. He was starting to not feel right. 'Ugh... Something's wrong....' "Uh... I dunno if I'm hungry, Nix."_   
_Nixie looked at her husband. On top his greying fur, his face was pale. "Bobby? Are... Are you sure you're feeling okay?"_   
_Bob looked up at Nixie. His eyes had bags underneath them. He didn't want to admit how bad he felt. "I..... I-I'm fine!" He smiled and picked up a fork. "See? I'm good!" Bob stuck his fork into the food and ate a bite. All of a sudden, he began to feel worse. His entire body ached. "Ughh...!" He leaned onto the table._   
_Nixie's eyes widened. She could actually see his fur turning grey. "Bobby! Are you okay!?!"_   
_Bob looked down at the food in front of him. The part he took a bite from was oozing out a black substance. 'What is that!?!' He could feel the ooze in his throat. It did NOT feel good. 'WATER! I NEED WATER!' Bob quickly reached for a nearby glass of water and began to gulp it down. He was almost finished with the glass of water, when he felt the ooze move up his throat. "Mmmph!!" Some of the black goo spurted out of Bob's mouth and into the glass._   
_Nixie stared at the glass for a moment. 'Is that...? Shadow...?!'_   
_Bob suddenly felt an increasing pain in his chest. 'Agh!! What is this!?!' He clutched his chest and lowered his head close to the table. His face was so low that Nixie couldn't see it anymore._   
_She gasped at Bob's condition. "Bobby!!! Bobby! Are you okay?! Do you need help?!?"_   
_Bob groaned in response. 'I... I don't have control of my body... What is this!?'_   
_Nixie got up from her seat. "What is happening to him?!?! HELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP HIM!!! HELP!!!"_   
_Nixie then heard someone laugh. It sounded like it came from Bobbery, but it didn't sound like his voice._   
_"Who was that!?! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!"_   
_"Haha...eheheheheheh!! No one can help you..."_

_Nixie jumped. That laugh was starting to sound familiar. She looked at her husband. His fur was completely grey now. The laugh was definitely coming from him. Nixie leaned closer to him. "Bobby?"_   
_The man looked up directly at Nixie. He now had bangs covering half of his face and a ponytail. He wasn't Bob anymore._   
_Nixie jumped back. "W...Wilfre?! What did you do to Bobby!?!?!"_   
_Wilfre grinned. "Oh... Is that what you call him? How charming."_   
_"Get out of here, Wilfre!"_   
_"Oh? Why should I? I have so much work to do."_   
_Nixie slowly backed away from the booth. "W...what do want?! Whatever it is, take it! Take it and leave!"_   
_Wilfre laughed. "Really? In that case, you might get your wish!" Wilfre transformed into his shadow form, and began to float out of his seat._

_Shadow was spreading all over the place. Nixie tried to run away, but was soon blocked by shadow. "You.... You crazy man! W...What is it that you want?!"_   
_Wilfre looked at Nixie and laughed. "Naive Raposa. You can't possibly understand what I'm after." Wilfre began to twitch a little. It seemed he was having a little trouble controlling his body. Or rather, Bob's body._   
_'Ugh... It hurts... I cant control anythin! I need my body back!'_   
_Wilfre shook his head in frustration. "Ugh... I'm tired of these games. I'll tell you what I want. I...." He struggled to get the words out._   
_"I.... Want.... YOU!!"_   
_Wilfre rushed toward Nixie and tightly squeezed her._   
_Nixie began to panic. She was being squeezed so tightly that she could barely move. Shadow was starting to spread all over her. "No... No! LET GO OF ME!! NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE! LEAVE ME ALONE!! STOP IT! STOP!! GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK! UGH... STOP IT!!! ST..."_

"-OP IT!!" Nixie's eyes opened. She was in her bed. The room was dark. Nixie still felt a pair of arms squeezing her. She began to squirm around. "No... Stop! Stop! Let go of me you evil monster! Why are you...?"  
Nixie turned around and quickly learned the source of the squeezing. In his sleep, Bob held Nixie tightly in his arms. It was as if he didn't want to let go. Nixie sighed to herself. "Bobby..." It took everything she had to escape Bob's grasp. Her heart pounded from the struggle.  
Not wanting to go back to sleep, Nixie just sat at the edge of the bed.

Bob's arms were still extended. As soon as he couldn't feel Nixie anymore, he began to reach around for her. Still dreaming, he thought Nixie had vanished. 'No... No!! Come back!!! Please.... Please....!' Bob desperately reached around for her. "Nix... N...Nix..."

Nixie heard Bob talk in his sleep and looked back at him. It was clear that he was upset. In fact, it looked like he was on the verge of tears. Nixie shook her husband awake. "Hey! Hey! Everything is alright. Wake up!"

Bob jumped awake. "Don't touch me ya little....!" It took a moment for him to realize what was going on. "...Nix?"  
Nixie nodded.  
Bob jumped up and squeezed Nixie in his arms. "Nix! I... I thought ya were a goner..."  
Nixie hugged him back. "Bobby... I had the strangest dream..."  
Bob's eyes widened a little. Normally he didn't care much about other people's dreams, but this time was different. "Y-yeah? What was it?"  
Nixie sighed. She really didn't want to remember it. "I... I dreamed that you and I were in Watersong."  
"Dat's what Watersong looks like? No wonder ya miss the place."  
"What? You... were the Bobby in the dream?"  
"I guess so... Did I turn to... HIM?"  
Nixie nodded. "This is so strange... I doubt sharing dreams is a normal phenomenon."  
"I dunno what dat means, but I'm just glad it ain't real."  
Nixie smiled. "Me too." The two Raposa let go of each other. Nixie sighed. "It's so dark, isn't it?"  
"Yeah. ...Ya wanna go back to sleep?"  
She shook her head. "No, I'm not tired. ...Especially after that."  
Bob chuckled. "Same here." He got up from the bed and began to prepare coffee for himself. "Coffee?"  
Nixie nodded. "Sure. That sounds nice." She joined Bobbery in the kitchen for a cup of coffee. "I wonder what time it is..."  
Bob took a sip of his coffee. "Don't ya got a pocket watch, Nix?"  
"No, I don't think I do."  
"Ya sure? I remember ya havin one."  
Nixie shook her head. "I believe I gave one to you years ago. Perhaps that's what you're thinking of?"  
"Ah yeah! Forgotten 'bout it. Must be sittin round somewhere broken."  
"Do you think the village clock still works?"  
"Dunno. It's been a long time since... Ya know. ...You're not thinkin of checkin it, are ya?"  
Nixie nodded. "I'm growing curious to be honest..." She walked to the door. "Besides, it isn't that far from here."  
Bob followed her. "Nix, don't. Might not be far, but it's still a long walk. Specially with dat stuff out there."  
"Bobby, we haven't left this house in days! I'm tired of being paranoid! Please, let me take one step out of my own house."  
"Nix, course I don't wanna be stuck here. But dat dream... It can't mean anythin good, Nix! Please wait it out a bit more!"  
Nixie sighed. "Bobby, I'm not going far. I just want a breath of fresh air. Is that too much?" She opened the door and stepped outside.  
After a few seconds, she looked up and saw the reason why it was so dark. The darkness was the closest it has ever been to the house. It wasn't surrounded, but if they didn't leave soon, the family would become trapped. Nixie screamed at the top of her lungs and immediately ran back into the house.

Bob hugged her. "Wha? You okay? What is it?! What happened?!"  
Nixie could barely get the words out of her mouth. "I... It.... So... Sorry... I-It's... It's..."  
"It's... what?"  
"It's... It's here! It's here! It's here!!!" She began to sob into Bob's shoulder. "I... I... I'm so scared..."  
Bob's eyes widened. "It's here?! The d...darkness!?!" He peeked out the door. Dark clouds loomed around the house. "We gotta go... Now."

Polly, who woke up to the sound of Nixie screaming, rushed up to her parents. "Mom! Dad! What happened!? Is everything okay?"  
Bob's heart was pounding. He tried to force a smile for his daughter. "It's okay, everything's okay! I... Uh... Your mother got startled, dats all!"  
Polly looked at Nixie, who was still crying. She squeezed Bongo in her arms. 'He's lying... Something's wrong.' She looked at the door. It was wide open. Polly was about to walk up to it, when her dad stopped her.  
"Whoa whoa whoa! Where ya think you're goin missy?"  
"Something's out there."  
"What?! N-no, no there ain't! Ya stay right where you are. I ain't losin ya again."  
"But Dad! I wanna see what happened!"  
"No buts! It's... It's nothing. Everything's okay." His eyes began to water a little. "R-right Nix?"  
Nixie sniffled. It felt like her heart was shattered. "...No. No, it's not okay."  
Polly was startled. "Mom?"  
Bob was also startled. He didn't think she would say that. ...Actually, he had no idea what she would say at all. "...Nix?"  
Nixie let go of her husband and faced Polly. Her eyes were watery. "...It's terrible. Everything has been awful, and nobody is going to fix it. Polly, the darkness is really bad right now."  
"I know mom."  
"No Polly! No you don't! We're almost surrounded!" Tears fell from her eyes. "...Polly, you know what this means, don't you?"  
Polly's eyes widened. "No... We can't leave!! I won't!!"  
"Alright then, stay here. If you don't wake up tomorrow, that is your problem!"  
Polly's lips quivered. "Mom..." She couldn't stop herself from crying. She sat on the floor and buried her face in Bongo.  
Bob glared at Nixie. "What the Rapo Nix!?!?! Are ya TRYING to scare her?!"  
"N-no... I just..."  
"Well it sure looked like it!" He glanced at Polly. "...Poor kid. She shouldn't have to deal with dis..."  
"I... I didn't mean to... Polly..." Nixie walked up to her. "I'm sorry, I just..." She knelt down and gave her a hug. "I don't want this either...  
Polly sniffled. "I... I don't wanna be left here..."  
"Polly, I swear that I would never even consider doing that to you. ...We are going to get through this together."  
"You... You mean it?"  
Nixie nodded. "Of course I do. Now come on, we need to hurry." Nixie helped Polly off of the floor.  
"Hurry? With what?"  
"...We need to pack. And fast."  
"Now!?"  
"Yes, Polly! Now! Go and pack your things, we're leaving today!"  
Polly rushed to take everything she could. "I'm taking the house with us!!"  
"No! We don't have time! Just take what you need!" Nixie looked at Bob. "...We should hurry."  
Bob nodded. "Alright. I'll get clothes, you get food." Bob rushed to gather an extra set of clothing for everyone. Nixie found a large basket and filled it to the brim with the food she could find.

Polly searched throughout the house trying to find whatever she needed. She took a few blankets from her bed. When she did, she noticed something shiny underneath her pillow. 'Huh? What is that?' She reached underneath the pillow and felt something smooth and cold. Polly pulled the object from the pillow. In her hands was a golden pocket watch. 'It's... a pocket watch?' Polly looked at the watch confused of it's origin. After a few seconds, she remembered where it came from. 'Oh...' A wave of guilt hit her in the face. 'That was so long ago... I can't believe I still have this!' The watch didn't tick anymore. It seemed that it broke somehow. Polly wrapped the blankets around her shoulders and held Bongo and the watch with one of her arms.  
She met up with both of her parents by the front door. Both of their arms were full.

Bob looked back and forth between Nixie and Polly. "...Ya got everything?"  
Polly nodded. "Yup!"  
Bob took two of the blankets from Polly. "Good thinkin, Polly. We're gonna be needin these." He wrapped one of the blankets around his shoulders and wrapped the other around Nixie. "It's gonna get real cold out dere."  
Nixie looked at Bongo in Polly's arms and sighed. "...Polly, I told you to only take what you need! That doll is only going to increase our load. Put it back."  
Polly protectively squeezed Bongo. "But mom!! I DO need him!"  
"No you-"  
Bob placed his hand on Nixie's shoulder. "Come on, Nix. Let it go. Besides, she needs it more than ya think."  
"What makes you say that?"  
Bob put his hand in his pocket. He felt the soft stuffed mouse that he secretly placed in there. "...Just trust me on dat one."  
Nixie took a deep breath. "So... Are we ready?"  
Everyone nodded.  
"Okay... I suppose this is it..."  
The three approached the front door. The darkness was a little closer to the house than it was before.

Polly stepped back from the door, shaken with fear. She squeezed Bongo and glanced at her dad. "...Is this safe?"  
Bob stared at the shadow in front of him. It wasn't moving fast, but it was slowly creeping closer and closer to the house. Bob cleared the frog out of his throat before opening his mouth. "I dunno... I'm not lookin forward to dis..." He looked back at his daughter. She looked scared out of her mind. 'Ah... Probably shouldn't of said dat last part...' He gently smiled. "...But we ain't goin nowhere if we don't try. Hold on to ma arm, I'll protect ya."  
Polly looked up at her dad and smiled. "Thanks Dad." She let go of the blanket around her shoulders and gently held onto his arm.

Nixie peeked outside. The shadow wasn't threatening them, but she felt uneasy about staying in the house much longer. 'We need to get this over with now...' Nixie turned around to face her husband. "Bobby, come on! We have to go!" She grabbed a hold of Bob's free arm and rushed out the door.  
Bob, clutching the clothing in his arm, did everything he could to keep up. "I'm comin, I'm comin!"

Polly, now with her dad out of her reach, was shocked by her parents' departure. "Hey! Where are you going?! Wait for me!!" Polly rushed outside to follow her parents.  
After taking a few steps out of the house, she couldn't help but turn around and look at her old home. When looking at it, Polly's mind went blank. All she could think of was how sad it made her feel. She squeezed Bongo extra tight.

Nixie and Bob quickly realized Polly wasn't with them. They looked back at the house to see Polly staring at it.  
Nixie sighed. "Oh dear... Polly! Polly, what are you doing!?"  
Polly didn't respond. She got caught up in her own world.  
Bob shook his head and stepped forward. "Polly!! Snap out of it, and get over here, missy!!!"  
Polly finally heard her parents' shouts and rushed over to them. "Sorry... I'm sorry..."  
Bob looked down at Polly and hugged her. "It alright Polly. I miss it too."  
The three Raposa looked back at the house that was once their home. The air around them was bittersweet.  
Polly began to tear up at the sight of the house. She buried her face into Bongo's soft fabric.  
Bob's eyes watered a little at the sight of his daughter. He muttered to himself. 'Ugh... Polly... Don't get me worked up like dat...'  
Nixie rested her hand on Bob's shoulder. She was getting upset too. "...Come on you two. We have to go."  
Bob looked at Nixie and nodded. "Alright..." He looked back at Polly. "Buck up, Polly. It's gonna be okay."  
Polly looked up from the doll and sniffled. "Okay..." She stared at the ground, sad and confused.  
"Hey... Come on. Don't do dat. What happened to my happy little girl?" Bob offered her his arm. "Come on. Let's go get dis over with. Whata ya say?"  
Polly smiled and took a hold of her dad's arm. "...Alright. But only if you're gonna be there with me."  
Bob grinned. "Of course I will! Your ma too. Come on, we got places to be!"  
The family headed away from their old home and toward the village entrance.

The three Raposa finally arrived at the bridge leading to the village's exit. Above the bridge was a massive archway. A long time ago, a sign with the village's name hung from the arch. But over time it became so worn and vandalised, that it was eventually taken down.  
The three took a deep breath and stepped onto the bridge together.  
"...Ahem." A familiar voice came from behind.  
The three turned around to see the Mayor at the end of the bridge.  
Nixie was shocked. "...Mayor? What are you doing here?"  
The Mayor cleared his throat. "...I wanted to apologize for what happened to your home. I'm ashamed to have let that happen."  
Nixie sighed. "Well, it happened. It's not as if it could be undone."  
"Well, if it could, I would happily undo all of this." The Mayor sighed. He really wished he would have stopped Wilfre when he had the chance. "...If you like, I can always find another home for you to live in." The Mayor nervously smiled. He really didn't want more villagers to move out.  
Nixie shook her head. "...I'm sorry, did you just offer us another house?"  
The Mayor became overjoyed. "In fact I did! There are many places available..."  
Nixie interrupted him. "...Another house in a shadow-ridden village, that will inevitably become overthrown with darkness along with the rest of said village?! I'm sorry Mayor, but we cannot stay here, and you know that!"  
The Mayor was shocked. "What?! Are you sure? Life outside the village is unpredictable. Wouldn't it be wiser to stay here?"  
"Trust me, Mayor. We are NOT staying. I'm positive this is the best solution."  
"...I understand. But please reconsider your choice. The village will never be the same without the Builde family." The Mayor tried to smile. "Listen, I know things have been getting out of hand. I want you to be as comfortable as possible. There are plenty of houses available to choose from. I will do everything I can to make sure your family is safe. Please, we can work this out together."  
Nixie slowly shook her head. "...No."  
"What?"  
"NO! MY FAMILY AND I ARE NOT STAYING IN THIS DOOMED WASTELAND OF A VILLAGE."  
"Please calm down..."  
"I BET ALL OF THOSE EMPTY HOUSES ARE FROM RAPOSA THAT WERE SO SICK AND TIRED, THEY MOVED OUT! TELL ME I'M WRONG!"  
The Mayor couldn't confirm nor deny her claim. "..."  
"THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT." She turned to face her husband. "Come on, Bobby. Let's go."

The Mayor interrupted Nixie's departure. "Wait! I know you're upset with me. And it isn't just because of your house..."  
Nixie paused in her tracks. "..."  
The Mayor continued. "I'm very sorry about your son. I wish I could've done more to help you. ...Perhaps if you stay, we can continue the search together."  
Nixie's heart felt broken. It has been a long time since anyone has seen Hunter. The reminder of him made Nixie burst into tears. 'Hunter...'  
Polly looked up at her mom. She was feeling really bad for her. "...Mom? You Okay?"  
Nixie didn't respond to her daughter. All she could think about was her son. 'What am I going to do?! I... I can't abandon him... I can't do it!'  
Bob was getting concerned about his wife. They have already decided to leave the village for a better life, and now Nixie was beginning to reconsider. 'I love Hunter to death but... We gotta move on.' Bob's eyes watered at the thought of abandoning his kid. 'Ugh... Bob, stop it. Ya cant make her feel bad now...' Not wanting it to influence Nixie's opinion, he pushed back his tears and sighed. 'Nixie was right... It's for da best we leave...'  
Nixie stood still, lost in thought. 'I have to stay here and look for him.... If that means I'll see him again, It will be worth it.' Tears in her eyes, she turned to face the mayor. "Mayor, I..."  
Bob suddenly placed his hand on Nixie's shoulder. 'Please don't do dis, Nix. I know what you're thinkin, but it ain't safe here no more. We gotta do dis.'  
Nixie sighed. She could feel that Bob didn't want her to change her mind. She sighed. 'I know, I was the one who came up with the idea. I just... I don't want to. Never did. ...I know how slim the odds of finding him are... At least this way, Polly is safe.' "Mayor, I'm sorry. We are leaving today. There is nothing you can do to change our minds."  
Nixie and Bobbery began to walk away from the village.  
Polly however, stayed put.

The two parents quickly noticed that Polly wasn't with them, and stopped to wait for her.

Polly stepped toward the Mayor and looked up at him. "...Mister Mayor?"  
The Mayor was a little surprised by Polly walking up to him. "What is it, young lady?"  
Polly reached for the broken pocket watch she was holding and handed it to the Mayor. "I think this is yours."  
The Mayor was stunned. That watch originally belonged to his wife. He used to always carry it around with him until it went missing. A smile crawled onto his face. "Well I'll be! I thought I would never see this again. Where did you find this?"  
Polly looked at the ground. "Um... I saw you put it down one day, and took it when you weren't looking... I'm sorry... It doesn't even work anymore..."  
The Mayor looked down at the watch. Polly was right. It didn't move an inch. 'Hmm... It's acting similar to the Village Clock.' He looked at Polly and laughed. "Ho ho ho! Thank you, Polly. You're a good kid."  
"Really? But I..."  
"You came forward, and that's what matters." He looked at the girl's parents in the distance. "Your mom and dad look like they miss you. Why don't you join them?"  
Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms and smiled. "I will! Thank you Mayor! Goodbye, and good luck!"  
The mayor gave a bittersweet smile. "Good luck to you too!"  
Polly ran up to her parents and held onto her dad's arm. "Come on, let's go."  
The three walked off the bridge and began their journey outside the village.


	11. Hunter and The Baki Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, each chapter will either be focused on Polly and her family or focused on Hunter and the Baki.
> 
> This chapter is a Hunter and Baki chapter.
> 
> Technically this chapter takes place before the last two, but this is the order they were made and published.  
> Besides, the Hunter and Baki chapters aren't really that connected to the Polly and Family chapters anyway.

Hunter peacefully slept in the home of his newfound baki friend. He became trapped in the forest by darkness the day before. While Hunter was excited to be surrounded by so many baki, he was feeling very uneasy about his future.

_Hunter woke up from his bed. He rubbed his eyes and took in his surroundings. Everything around him was bright and colorful. After letting out a big yawn, he sprung out of his bed to enjoy the new day. The sun beamed into the house and gave everything a gentle glow. It seemed like it was going to be one of those days that make life worth living. Hunter walked over to the kitchen table, expecting to share breakfast with his family. But as Hunter sat down, he didn't see anyone there. 'Huh? Where is everybody? ...Did I wake up early or something?' He looked around, confused. There were banyajacks on the table, so somebody must be awake. "...Hello? Anybody up?" There was no response. Hunter stared at the breakfast in front of him, and shrugged. "Oh well. Guess that'll be more for me! I'm starved!" He reached over to the plate of pancakes at the seat next to him and began to drag it closer to him._   
_"Chir-ap!!"_   
_Almost immediately, Hunter heard a strange chirping sound. "Huh?" He tried to drag to plate further, but was interrupted by another chirp._   
_"CHIR-AP!!!" A baki jumped up from the chair and onto the table. They didn't look too happy._   
_Hunter was startled. "What the?! How'd you get in here!? This isn't your house! Shoo!"_   
_The baki walked up to the plate of pancakes. It seemed to be hungry. And it had its heart set on those pancakes._   
_"Hey! You can't have those! They're not yours! They're someone else's!" Hunter tried to take the plate away from the baki, but the baki couldn't help but to disagree._   
_"CHIR-REEEEEE!!!!" The baki screamed at the rapo, and began to wolf down the banyajacks._   
_"Hey... That's not nice. Those are mine..."_   
_The baki gave Hunter a glare of disappointment. Those banyajacks weren't reserved for the rapo in the first place._   
_Hunter looked at the baki, confused. "Hey, why are you...?" He then realized why the baki was looking at him like that. "Oh... I forgot they weren't mine. Sorry." Hunter began to munch at his own breakfast. He spoke to the baki with his mouth full. "...Ya know tho aren't yours either, righ?"_   
_The baki looked at Hunter, confused. From what they understood, those banyajacks WERE theirs. They decided to ignore Hunter, and continue with their meal._   
_"...Polly's gonna be really mad at you for eating her food." 'I found that out from experience...'_   
_The baki was confused by the Raposa boy's words. 'Polly? What's a Polly? ...Am I a Polly?' The baki finished the banyajacks, and stared at Hunter's plate._   
_"...What?"_   
_The baki walked closer to Hunter. It looked like it wanted his breakfast._   
_Hunter blocked the baki from the plate. "No! I'm not finished! You already had some!"_   
_The baki grew frustrated and jumped over Hunter. The Baki ended up landing on the raposa's pancakes._   
_"Hey! Why'd you do that? Now they're ruined..." Hunter let out a disappointed sigh. 'At least I was almost done...'_   
_Across the opposite end of the table came an angry chirp. "CHIREEEEP!!!!" On one of the chairs on other side of the table was another baki. Or rather, two baki. One was standing on top of the other. The top baki was apparently very upset at the baki on Hunter's plate. "CHIRP CHIREEEE!!!"_   
_The pancake loving baki lowered its head in shame. It stepped off of the banyajacks and quickly chirped what seemed to be an apology. "Chirr Chirr..."_   
_Hunter, realising the baki was trying to apologize, petted the baki. "It's okay. You're forgiven."_   
_The baki purred under Hunter's fingertips. The other two baki seemed to be pleased as well. Everyone was finished eating, and was happy. However, Hunter was still a little confused._   
_"Where is everyone? They should be here.... And how did you guys get in?"_   
_The baki gave Hunter confused looks. From what they could tell, everything was normal._   
_"I'm... Going outside for a bit." Hunter got out of his seat and walked outside. Right away he could tell that everything was different. "Woah..." The village looked exactly the same, but there were no Raposa to be seen. Instead, a bunch of baki wandered the streets. "Am I... dreaming?" Hunter Began to wander the village. It was as if every Raposa in the village was replaced by Baki. Hunter looked around, confused. "...Where am I?" He then bumped into one of the baki wandering the village. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to..." Hunter looked closer at the baki. It was a very familiar Leaf Baki. "Hey! It's you! The smartest Baki!"_   
_The baki looked up at Hunter. It recognized him and greeted him with a happy chirp. "Cheeeup!!"_   
_Hunter smiled. "Good to see you too buddy." Hunter patted the baki's head before asking it a question. "Um... I was wondering... Do you know where everyone is?"_   
_The baki had no idea what Hunter was talking about. Every baki was there._   
_"Ugh... Raposa! Where's all the Raposa?! Where are my friends? My family?"_   
_The baki stared blankly at Hunter. It wasn't sure where his family and friends were. However, it knew where to find some Raposa. But the baki knew that wild Raposa were very dangerous. It didn't want anyone to get hurt by one._   
_Hunter sighed. It seemed he wasn't going to see them again for a very long time. "Guess we'll be sticking together for a while... Won't we?"_   
_The baki jumped up into Hunter's arms. It was glad that Hunter would stay safe and sound in the village. "Cheee!"_   
_Hunter smiled. "Woah! Guess you're excited, huh?" Hunter was already beginning to feel at home in the strange village. "Say, you wanna grab something to eat? I'm starved!"_   
_"Chirrap!" The baki jumped out of Hunter's arms, and began to walk in the direction of Cookie's restaurant._   
_"Hey! Wait for me!" Hunter began to follow the leaf baki to the restaurant._

Hunter began to shift in place. His eyes were just beginning to open. He wasn't in the village.  
"Uggh.... Where am I?"  
He looked around. Hunter was sitting on a cushion with his legs crossed. He was inside a small hut made from a mixture of different materials. It took a second for Hunter to remember what was going on.  
"Oh yeah... This is the Baki's place."  
Hunter tried to move his legs, but they felt tingly and stiff.  
'Huh? Did my legs fall asleep? How long was I like this?'  
Slowly but surely, Hunter managed to stand up.  
"Rapo that feels weird..."  
He looked around. The baki that fell asleep on his lap was nowhere to be seen.  
"Where'd he go? I at least thought he'd wake me up..."

Hunter, with his legs just starting to wake up, stepped outside of the hut and looked around. There was quite a few baki wondering around, but Hunter couldn't quite spot the baki he was looking for.  
'Ughh... They all kinda look similar... How am I gonna tell one from another? ...Guess I'll figure it out eventually.'  
Hunter began to wander the baki village in search of his baki pal. He looked around. Despite getting a mini tour of the place, Hunter didn't really know about the strange baki village. He didn't know where everything was or how things worked. But as he looked around, Hunter couldn't help but to compare the baki village to his old home. Each baki seemed to know each other very well. It was almost like a giant baki family.  
"It's like they're people..."

All of a sudden, Hunter began to remember the dream he had.  
'Baki replacing Raposa... Maybe this is what caused it? But... What does it mean? ...Stop it, Hunter. It doesn't mean anything. Besides, it's the best dream I've had in a while... I even got to eat at Cookie's...'  
Hunter's mouth watered at the thought of baki burgers. He didn't eat anything since breakfast the day before, and it was catching up with him.  
'When I find him, maybe he can show me where the nearest restaurant is. 'Cause I sure need one...'  
Hunter's stomach began to growl with hunger.

It didn't take too long for the surrounding baki to notice his hunger. While they had become confident that Hunter was a nice and harmless kid, they also knew that Raposa ate baki. As Hunter's stomach grew louder, the scared Baki began to back away and hide from him. Soon enough, none of the baki wanted to get close to him.  
"Wha? Hey! Where's everyone going? ...Did I do something?"  
Hunter looked around. He was completely alone now. He saw that the Baki were hiding from him, but he wasn't sure why.  
"...Hello?"  
None of the Baki responded to him. All except for one. The leaf baki, who felt responsible for the Raposa, quietly walked up to him.  
Hunter let out a sigh of relief.  
'Well... That's ONE way to find him...' "Hey! It's you again! I was wondering where you were!"  
The baki, a little nervous to be around Hunter, greeted him with a chirp.  
"Ch-cheeeup!"  
"Hey uh... What's up with everyone? They all just ran away. Is something wrong?"  
The little baki was unsure of what to do. It didn't want to hurt the rapo or kick him out of the village, but it couldn't talk to him either. After all, Raposa usually don't understand Baki. The Baki, feeling defeated, let out a disappointed cry.  
"Chuurrrrr...."  
"Hey, what's wrong? Whatever it is, it can't be that bad!"  
Hunter reached out and began to scratch behind the baki's ears.  
The baki quickly began to calm down. In fact, it forgot why it was so worried in the first place. The kid was completely harmless AND he knew just the right spot.  
'Ah... Yep! Yep! That's it! Right there! ...I could stand here forever!'  
"See? That's better! I knew that'd calm you down."  
Hunter's stomach lightly grumbled and ached out of hunger.  
"Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Where can we go get a bite to eat? I'm starving!"  
The baki's eyes widened. It suddenly remembered why it was so worried.  
'Eat? Eat what?' "Chee...?"  
"You know what would taste really good right now? A Baki Burger from Cookie's! His food is so good! I can taste it!"  
The little baki began to shake with fear.  
'Baki?! Did they say B-baki!?!'  
Shaking, the baki slowly backed away from Hunter.  
'It really IS going to eat me! I should've known!'  
Hunter watched the baki back away from his hand. It was acting very strange. It was almost as if it was afraid of him.  
"Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"  
He reached out to try and calm the baki again, but pulled his hand way when the baki hissed at him.  
"Did...did I do something wrong? Was it something I said?"  
Hunter took a moment to think about what he said.  
'What's wrong with him? Why does he look so afraid of me? All I did was say I was hungry.... Wait, that can't be it, can it?!' "You... You think I'm gonna eat you?! Why would you...?"  
It took a second for Hunter to realise why the Baki thought that.  
'Baki Burgers...' "Oh no... No no no! I didn't mean that! I'd never even think of that!! You're my friend!"  
Hunter never really made the connection of where baki meat came from until this point. After seeing how friendly and Raposa-like Baki were, he began to feel bad. In fact, it almost made him sick.  
"I'm sorry.... I wasn't thinking... I'd never try to hurt you... Or your friends... I swear!"  
The baki looked up at Hunter. It could tell that he felt bad. It wanted to trust him, but it couldn't be sure.  
Hunter placed his hand on his heart.  
"Please don't be upset... I promise I'll never hurt or eat a single baki from here on out! Cross my heart!"  
The Raposa crossed out his heart with his finger. He was serious.  
The baki stepped toward the Raposa.  
"...Chee?"  
"I mean it! I don't think I'd be able to hurt you guys anyway..."  
The baki walked up to Hunter and rubbed its face against his leg. It seemed to be happy.  
"Cheeee!"  
Hunter smiled. He had regained the trust of his new friend. Hunter reached down to pat the baki on the head.  
"Haha. Good Baki..."  
Hunter was beginning to feel a little weak from the lack of food in his body.  
"Hey, um... I'm still hungry... There isn't anything I can munch on is there?"  
The baki looked around the village. The other Baki weren't in hiding anymore. It seemed they have moved on from the Raposa boy. However, they still kept their distance from him. The little leaf baki looked up at Hunter, and began to walk away.  
"Wait! Where are you going?! Come back!"

Hunter soon began to follow the baki to wherever it was headed. After some walking, the two arrived at their destination. In front of them was a fruit bearing tree. Hunter looked up at the tree in awe.  
"Woah..."  
The tree was pretty big, but it was short compared to the surrounding trees. Hunter walked up to the tree's trunk. There were a few prices of mostly eaten fruit scattered around. All of the lowest hanging branches were bare.  
'I guess they only eat the low hanging fruit? That'd make sense... Baki aren't known for being tall...'  
The Raposa searched as hard as he could for a fruit he could reach.  
"No... No... Not there... Wait... There's one!"  
Hunter walked underneath the fruit bearing branch and tried to reach for it.  
"Come on.... Almost there..."  
He stretched as high as he could. Despite his effort, Hunter couldn't reach the fruit.  
"Ugh... Come on! Just give it to me! ...Please."  
Hunter was getting extremely frustrated and was almost ready to give up.  
He muttered to himself. "Why'd I have to be short..."  
The little baki, growing a little concerned, looked up at Hunter and chirped at him.  
"Chirr!"  
Hunter, still focused on the fruit, ignored the baki. The leaf baki, in an attempt to grab his attention, nudged against Hunter's legs.  
"Chirrr!!"  
Hunter grumbled in frustration.  
"Can it wait? I'm busy."  
The baki continued to nudge him.  
"Chirr! Chirr! Chirrr!!!"  
Angry, Hunter turned to the baki and snapped at them.  
"What?! What is it!? I'm doing something!!"  
Startled, the baki took a step back.  
"Chee Chuuuurrrr...." 'I just wanted to help.... Stop being mean...'  
Hunter began to pant. It was clear that he was getting tired.  
"Don't distract me. I wanna get this myself."  
Hunter looked back at the branch, and targeted the elusive fruit. He took a few steps back, and took a running start. He lunged his body toward the branch, and ended up landing face first onto the ground. Hunter groaned and lifted his face from the dirt.  
"Ugh... Who am I kidding? I'm not gonna reach it... I'm just gonna starve out here..."  
The baki cautiously walked up to the Raposa on the ground.  
'Is it okay?' "Chirr?"  
Hunter looked up at the baki. His face was red, and his eyes were watery.  
"...I'm sorry Mr. Baki. I wasn't trying to be mean to you, I'm just... tired."  
Hunter slowly got off the ground and scratched the baki's ears.  
"So... What'd you wanna say?"  
After giving a happy chirp, the leaf baki began to jump up and down. Each time they fell back down, their leaf slowly guided them toward the ground.  
Hunter stared at the baki, confused. It looked like it was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't figure out what it was.  
"Ummm.... up? You... want to go up?"  
The baki kept jumping up and down. Each time it jumped up, it chirped.  
"Chirr!! Chirr! Chirr!"  
Hunter picked up the baki and stared at it.  
"Okay, you're up. Now what?"  
The baki motioned upwards toward the fruit.  
"Chirr! Chir!"  
It took a second for Hunter to realise what the baki was trying to say.  
"Even more up? Why would... Wait! You think you can get it?! That'd be awesome! Here!"  
Hunter lifted the baki and set it on top of his head. He hoped that would give the baki an advantage in height.  
At first, the baki was confused as to why it was being placed on the raposa's head. But after feeling the soft fur on Hunter's head, the baki instinctively plopped down and and rested it's eyes.  
'So cozy! I wonder where we're going!'  
Hunter didn't expect his baki friend to to rest on his head like that. He thought it would jump up and nab the fruit, but it didn't work out that way.  
"What the...? What are you doing? You're supposed to get the fruit!"  
Hunter lifted the baki from his head, and raised it up toward the fruit.  
"Come on! I believe in you!"  
The baki looked around until it spotted the fruit.  
'Ooooh! Yum yums!'  
The baki jumped out of Hunter's hands, and managed to snatch the fruit from it's branch.  
Hunter cheered for the baki as it floated to the ground.  
"Yes! I knew you could do it! Now, can I have it?"  
The little baki was so proud of it's catch, that it forgotten who it was for. The baki rolled the fruit around, trying to figure out the best way to eat it.  
Hunter, after getting no response, reached at the fruit and took it away from the baki.  
The baki quickly became frustrated at the rapo boy for stealing it's prize.  
'Hey!! That's mine!! My food! Give it to me!!' "CHIRRRR..."  
Hunter looked down at the baki and sighed.  
"Alright... I'll give you some. You earned it."  
Using his nails, he cut off a small piece of the fruit and gave it to the baki.  
"Here."  
Almost as quickly as it became angry, the baki became overwhelmed with joy at the sight of food.  
'A nice Raposa that gives food away?! I can get used to this!' "Cheee!"  
Hunter smiled. "Glad you like it." Hunter sat next to baki and happily ate his food.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, there was a rustling noise coming from close by.  
"What the? Who is it? I'm warning you!"  
Hunter quickly picked up a nearby twig.  
"I'm armed! So d-don't come any closer! ...Please?"  
While Hunter was startled by the rustling, the timber baki easily recognized the sound.  
'Hey! It's my friends!' "Chee!"  
A few of the baki from the village walked through the tall grass and greeted Hunter and the Baki. It seemed they just wanted some fruit to eat.  
Hunter laughed nervously to himself and gently put down the twig in his hand.  
"I... I knew it was them the whole time. Yeah..."  
A little embarrassed, Hunter continued to eat.  
The group of baki looked at Hunter in shock. The Raposa was eating THEIR food. And with the darkness limiting food supply, they didn't think it was a good time to share with an enemy. One of the baki yelled at the Raposa.  
'Hey!! Get out of here! Stop eating our food and leave us alone!!' "CHIRRREEEEE!!!"  
Hunter's eyes widened. He didn't expect the baki to be so upset at him.  
"I'm sorry! I only had one! I thought you'd be okay with sharing. I mean, if I'm living here, I gotta eat something!"  
The Baki ignored hunter and moved on to the little baki beside him. "Chirr!!" 'Why did you lead it here?! It's going to eat us AND all of our food! It will be the end all of us if it doesn't get out of here!'  
The little baki stood up from the dirt and yelled back at his friends. "Cheee!!!" 'It's okay! It's very nice! AND they share food!'  
"Chee Chirrrr..." 'Maybe, but it's going to eat us! Get rid of him!'  
"Chirr!!" 'He said he won't eat us!! I trust him! And if we leave him, he knows where we are! He'll come back! We need to be on his good side!'  
The other baki grew silent for a moment. It seemed that they were taking a brief moment to think.  
Hunter watched the baki argue in awe. He had no idea what they were saying, but he could tell that it probably had to do with him.  
After a minute or two of silence, the baki finally made a decision. "Chirr Chee." 'The Raposa boy stays. As long as he doesn't disturb anyone.'  
The little baki happily jumped up and down.  
'Hooray! They stay! Time to celebrate!'  
The little leaf baki ran up to Hunter, and rubbed against his side.  
'He stays! You stay!'  
The other baki began to walk up to Hunter and chirp at him.  
Hunter had no idea why the baki were acting the way they were, but he was glad they were happy. He began to pet his baki friend.  
"I dunno what you said, but you made everyone happy. You really are the smartest baki... Sorry I never asked, but what's your name little guy?"  
The baki looked up at Hunter and chirped at him. "Cheee Cha!"  
Hunter became a little confused. "Wait, do you not have a name? ...Or is it Cheecha? Hmm... I don't think I can remember that... Mind if I give you a nickname? Let's see... Oh! I know! Galileo was the smartest rapo in my village! Since you're the smartest baki, you're the Galileo of baki! But wait... I can't just steal his name and give it to you... I know! I'll call you Leo! What do you think?"  
"Cheee!!"  
"Haha! Alright then Leo! Let's celebrate!"  
Hunter, Leo, and the rest of baki celebrated him joining the village. And they did so by eating fruit by the tree's trunk until they were all stuffed.

After a few hours, the party officially ended. Many of the baki moved on and went back to the village. And those that remained by the tree did nothing except lay around and rest.  
Hunter, laying on the ground, let out a sigh.  
"That was so much fun! Polly would really enjoy this... You know, when all that shadow goes away, maybe I'll bring her here! Maybe mom and dad too! And everyone else! Yeah! I think I will! What do think, Leo?"  
Leo shook their head. One Raposa in the village is pushing it. A whole village of them? That might not work out too well.  
"Chirrr..?"  
"Oh come on! They're nice rapos! You'll like them! I know you'll get along with them. When I get back home, I'll introduce you to everyone. Haha! I can't wait for them to see this place! ...So, when the darkness leaving? Soon, right?"  
Hunter smiled. He looked so happy to share the baki village with his own. His eyes were filled with hope, and his thoughts were naive.  
The little baki looked away from the raposa. It knew that the darkness likely wasn't going away anytime soon.  
Leo let out a sad cry. "Chirrrrrrr...."  
Hunter's smile slowly disappeared. He didn't really realise how bad the darkness was.  
"It's... not going away, is it?"  
Hunter's eyes were beginning to tear up.  
'I... I'm alone out here...' "E...excuse me.... I... I'm going for a walk..."  
Hunter lifted himself off of the ground, and walked away with tears in his eyes.  
Leo watched Hunter march into the distance.  
'What is it? Where is he going?'  
Concerned for him, Leo followed Hunter through the woods. It didn't take too long for Hunter to reach his destination. Hunter stood in front of the wall of darkness that trapped him in the woods. He sat on the ground and hugged his knees.  
"I... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... But..." Hunter sniffled. "I... I can't go home... Mom... Dad... they're probably worried sick... I can't even tell them I'm okay... I... I'm never going to see them again... I.... I... I WANNA GO HOME!!!"  
Hunter buried his face in his hands and bursted into tears.  
Leo approached Hunter from behind and nudged him.  
"Chee?"  
Hunter lifted his head for a moment and faced the baki. His eyes were burning with tears, and snot was starting to drip from his nose.  
"W...what? Whatever it is, it's not gonna make me feel better... Just leave me alone..."  
The baki ignored Hunter's request, and walked in front of him.  
"Chirr..." 'I'm sorry you can't go home...'  
Leo rubbed their face against Hunter's legs, hoping to cheer him up.  
"Cheee....." 'I'll try my best to make it feel like home here. Don't worry.'  
Hunter wiped his nose and looked at Leo.  
"A...are you trying to cheer me up? Thanks. ...But nothing's gonna make this better... I... I just wanna sit here for a while."  
Hunter turned away from leo and stared at the darkness in front of him.  
"W...what am I gonna do? Everything's gone..."  
Leo sat down next to Hunter and sighed. "Chirrr..." 'I'll sit here with you.'  
Hunter managed to smile a little. "Thanks Leo. You're the best."  
The two spent the next few hours staring into the darkness, and comforting each other.


	12. The Scarf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, each chapter will either be focused on Polly and her family or focused on Hunter and the Baki.
> 
> This chapter is a Hunter and Baki chapter.
> 
> Technically this chapter takes place before the last two Polly and Family chapters, but this is the order they were made and published.  
> Besides, the Hunter and Baki chapters aren't really that connected to the Polly and Family chapters anyway.
> 
> Also this chapter was formatted into smaller chunks in an attempt to make it easier to read. Whether or not it worked is hard to say.

###  **The Confrontation**

One day, Leo had enough and decided to confront him. Shortly after seeing Hunter make a move toward his hideaway, Leo followed closely behind. After a few minutes of walking, the two finally came upon the shadowy wall. Hunter, unaware of the baki behind him, sat down and began to stare at the darkness.

"...What are they doing now?" Hunter quietly sighed to himself. "I wonder if they gave up on me... They probably did..." Hunter looked up at the dreary sky and sighed. "Everyone must think I'm... gone. Heck, I might as well be. It's not like I can go back..."

Thinking the timing was right, the little baki nudged against Hunter's back to get his attention. 'Hey. Raposa. Look at me.' "Chirrrr..."

Hunter gasped and turned his head toward the baki behind him. "L-Leo!! What are you doing here?! Go away."

Letting out a small grumble, Leo disobeyed the Raposa by jumping onto his lap. 'No. I'm staying. Right. Here.' "Chiiirrr!"

"Wha? Leo!! No! I said I don't want you here!!" Hunter lifted the baki off of his lap, and placed him on the ground. "I get it, you miss me. But I'm really not in the mood right now. ...Listen, how about you leave me alone until it's time to eat? Sound good? Good. Bye Leo." Hunter gently nudged Leo away from him, and turned his head back to the darkness. Just the sight of it made his chest feel heavy. It took everything in Hunter's power to fight back his tears.

Leo wasn't sure why Hunter's sadness reflected onto him, but he did know one thing. He was not leaving until he found a way to make the sadness stop. Before Hunter could shed a tear, Leo ran up to him and jumped back into his lap. 'I won't leave until you stop.' "Chirrrr!!"

Hunter, holding back his tears even further, was getting frustrated at his baki friend. "Ngghh! LEO!!! STOP IT! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!! GO HOME!" He attempted to lift the baki away, but the Leo immediately jumped back onto Hunter's lap. "STOP BEING A PAIN! I JUST WANT TO BE ALONE, OKAY?! FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE, I WANT TO BE ALONE!!" Hunter continued in his attempts to force Leo away, but had no success. "LEO!!! STOP IT!! I..! I just..." He choked on the words in his mouth. "...I feel so alone." Hunter could no longer fight back the tears pouring down his cheeks. He really enjoyed being with Leo and the other baki, but the baki village just didn't quite feel like home to him.

Leo tilted his head in confusion. 'There are many friends here. You can't be lonely. Why are you sad?' "Chirr Cheee??"

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't want you to see me like this... I'm just a big crybaby..."

"Cheee..." 'I know. I don't mind.'

"I just... want to go home."

Leo leaped out of Hunter's lap, thinking he found a way to cure Hunter's sadness. "Cheee-up!!!!" 'Hey! You want home? Let's go home!! Come on!' The baki then began to joyously march back to the baki village, hoping Hunter would follow.

Hunter watched Leo proudly march in the direction of the village. Disappointed, Hunter shook his head. "That's not my home. That's YOUR home. MY home... is gone."

Leo turned around to face the raposa. "Chirr? Chirr..." 'What? But I made everything nice and comfy for you! What more do you need?!'

Hunter sighed. "Your village is nice, but I don't belong there. I know I don't. I mean, I'm not a baki like you are." He looked back at the darkness and remembered his old village. "I'm a raposa. I... I want to be with my kind. My friends, my family, they're home. And home isn't here."

Leo walked up to Hunter and rubbed against his side in an attempt to comfort him. 'Sorry I'm not a Raposa.' "Chirrrr..."

"I just want my family back... that's all I want..."

Leo stared at the wall of shadow. 'I should go and get some Raposa! That will help!' Leo took a step back, and dashed toward the darkness in front of him.

As Hunter saw his baki friend bolt toward the darkness, he immediately began to panic. "LEO NO!!!" Hunter tackled the baki, preventing him from running any further. "Leo! Don't scare me like that! That stuff HURTS people!! You're supposed to be the smartest baki! What were you thinking?!"

Leo looked back at hunter with his cloudy white eyes, and chirped at him. "Chirr..." 'Maybe more Raposa isn't a good idea...'

Hunter squeezed the baki tightly in his arms. "Going in there isn't going to help anyone. It's just gonna get you hurt. If it wouldn't, I would've tried a long time ago..."

"Ch-cheeeeee!" 'Ow! Don't squeeze! It hurts! Let me go!"

Hunter saw Leo fidget in his arms. He MIGHT have been squeezing him too tight... "Sorry! So so sorry, Leo! I didn't mean that!" The Raposa quickly released the baki from his arms.

As soon as he was freed, Leo took a deep breath and shook it off. "Chiirr..." 'Phew...'

"I don't get it. Why'd I have to get stuck here? There has to be some reason! Mom always said there was a reason for everything! Creator, why did you lead me here?" Hunter looked up at the sky, hoping for some kind of sign. There was no response.

Hunter let out a frustrated sigh. "Rapo... You know, if mom were here, she'd wrap me in her arms and tell me everything's okay. And... I'd believe her. She just has that effect on people. I... I miss it."

Leo looked at the Raposa and tilted his head in confusion. "Chirr Chiirrup??" 'You want your mommy? That's it?' The baki walked up to Hunter, and rubbed his head against him. 'Everything is okay.' "Cheee..."

Hunter looked down at Leo and smiled. "I know you're trying to comfort me. Thank you." He reached down and began to pet the tiny leaf baki. "But... you're not my mom. She's a part of my family. You can't replace family."

Leo felt disappointed. He tried to help his Raposa friend, but he couldn't. "Chirrr..."

"Hey, don't be sad. You tried!" Hunter said, trying to make Leo feel better. "Besides, I guess I do feel a little better now!" Hunter smiled. "Thanks, Leo. You're the closest thing to family I got. Maybe things wont be so bad afterall. I'll meet you for lunch in a little bit, okay?"

"Cheee!" 'Okay! Bye!' Leo marched away, happy that he managed to cheer Hunter up a little. But... it was only a little bit. The sadness wasn't completely gone yet. What could he do to make it go away?

All this thinking just made leo confused. nothing seemed to make sense to him. The only thing he knew was that he HAD to support Hunter in any way he could. But... how?

He couldn't just give him a new family, could he??? wait... family. Hunter considers Leo... family? Then, is that why he felt better? Because Leo was like family to him?

And then it clicked. That's the problem! The reason Hunter was sad was because he didnt have a family! If all of the baki would treat hunter like one of their own, he'd feel like he belong! Leo jumped for joy, and ran to tell everyone in the Baki Village.

###  **The Plan**

Leo ran home to the baki village as fast as his stumpy little legs could carry him. 'Hey! Hey everyone! OOF!' The Baki tripped and landed on his face. He quickly got back up and ran to the nearest baki he could find.

'Rapo not happy! Baki need to cheer him up!'

The other Baki looked at Leo, confused. 'Why?'

''Cause rapo make Leo sad!'

'.. So? Thats it?'

'We need to stay on his good side! Remember?'

'...Oh yeah. But what do we do?'

'We gotta make him feel like one of us!'

'What? Impossible! He's not one of us! He's a raposa!'

'I know! He just needs to FEEL like one of us!'

'Uhhh how will we do that??'

'...I thought you guys would know!!!'

'You don't even have a plan!?!?'

'I havn't got that far yet!' leo slumped over, and stared sadly at the ground.

Making a Raposa feel like a Baki... is that even possible?

'Ohh phooey... now what do we do...? Think! What do we got that rapo doesn't?'

'...I dunno? A scarf?'

'Thats it!!! We'll throw a party for rapo to become one of us! And we'll give rapo a scarf and he'll be happy! Hey! do we have the stuff to make one for rapo?'

'I dunno... It gotta keep his whole body warm, and raposa are really big!'

'How big?'

'Let's find out!'

Leo, along with some of his baki pals, left the village in search for Hunter.

###  **Grateful**

Hunter was sitting underneath a fruit bearing tree, having an afternoon snack, when Leo and his friends came along. "Hi Leo! I saved you a piece!"

Leo ran up to Hunter and snatched the fruit out of his hands. 'nom nom nom!'

Hunter chuckled a litte bit. "Oh Leo... you can be really silly sometimes, y'know?"

Leo didn't respond. He was too distracted by food. Soon enough, all of the other baki were distracted by the fruits scattered on the ground.

Hunter patted the top of Leo's head, and looked around. All of the baki seemed so happy and content.

Hunter let out a brief sigh. He wished he could be as joyful and carefree as a Baki, but he just couldn't help but feel a little under the weather. "Man... I wish everyone I know were here. I'm sure they'd all really like you guys! And... it'd be a little less lonely around here too..." Hunter stroked his hand through the grass in an attempt to distract himself.

Leo looked up from his fruit. He could sense another wave of sadness from Hunter, and it ruined the little Baki's appetite. 'Ugh... Again? How sad can a Rapo be?!?' "Chirrrr..."

As annoyed as Leo was, he couldn't help but feel bad for him. After all, if he felt bad just by being near Hunter, Leo could only imagine how bad the raposa felt.

The Baki walked up to Hunter and nudged him on his side. "Chirr! Chirr!" 'Hey, stop being sad!'

"Huh? ...Oh! Sorry Leo... I'm probably being annoying, huh?"

"Cheee..." 'He's not wrong...'

"I'm not trying to be a downer... It's just... hard to think I'll never see anyone I know ever again..."

Leo let out a long sigh. "Churr..." 'Maybe this IS impossible...'

"H-hey! I'm sorry! Am I... making you sad? Please don't be sad!" Hunter began to scratch behind Leo's ears. That almost always made him feel better. And it did.

Leo immediately began to relax and forget why he was so upset. 'Ahh... Don't stop!' "Cheee....."

"Maybe... I should just be a little more grateful. Yeah! If Dad were here, he'd definitely tell me something like that. I mean, that darkness didn't catch me! And... I met you, Leo! I dunno if would've survived very long if I didn't... So... thank you!"

Leo began to purr. He wasn't paying too much attention to Hunter's words, but they sounded pretty nice! "Chrrrrrrrr....."

"Yeah! I got plenty of friends right here! Don't I?" Hunter stopped petting the Baki, and stood up from the ground.

'Hey!!! I said don't stop!!!' "Churrr!!!"

"Hey, don't yell at me! Maybe you need to be more grateful too!" Hunter began to stretch his back. He felt a little stiff from sitting too long. "I'm gonna be grateful and walk through the woods if anyone wants to join me!"

'A walk? Okay!! Wait! I forgot!' "Cheee! Chuurr!!" Leo rushed in front of the Raposa to stop him.

Hunter barely managed to avoid tripping on the little baki, and stopped in his tracks. "Hey! What are you doing trying to block me?"

Leo cried out to his baki pals for help. "Cheeeee!!!" 'Help! Over here!'

A small wave of baki came flooding over to Hunter and Leo. They all chirped amongst themselves, mostly because they all forgot what they were supposed to be doing.

"ChuuurrrrAH!" 'Stack up!'

The baki were still a little confused, but they did what they were told. One by one, the baki began to stack on top of each other.

Once the stack reached a certain height, Leo jumped up and down and shouted at them to stop. "Chaaa!!" 'Stop stacking!!' Then, after the baki cluster settled down, Leo commanded the remaining baki to stand right next to the stack. "Cheee-oh!" 'Stand there!'

The Baki still didn't completely understand what they were doing. 'What is this for again?' 'Why are we following his orders?' '...I'm tired.'

Once he got a good look at the Baki, Leo let out a confident chirp. 'Yup! That's it! That's how big Rapo is!' The little leaf baki turned around and headed back to the village. 'Come on, guys! Let's go!'

Still unsure about what they were doing, the rest of the baki followed Leo back to the village.

Hunter was completely dumbfounded. 'What was that about?' "H-hey! What about the walk?" The Rapo waited for a moment, but got no response. As much as Hunter respected his Baki friend, Leo always managed to confuse him. He shrugged it off. "…Oh well. I guess nobody wants to join me. ...I guess I'll just have to go alone!" 'Besides, it'll probably be easier to think alone.' Keeping his mind off of whatever the Baki were up to, Hunter headed further into the woods to explore.

###  **The Pep Talk**

'Hey! What's going on?!?' The Baki gang surrounded Leo, expecting him to explain what he wanted them to do.

Leo couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. 'I thought I told you already!!'

'I don't remember you telling ME anything!'

Leo growled. 'I did!! Idiot!' After calming down for a second, Leo began re-explaining the plan. '... and so we needed Rapo's size!'

'But how do we get that??'

'We! Already! Did!'

'...Really?? How?'

'Remember when you stacked? That's how high Rapo is!'

'...OH!!! I get it now!'

'And the others were Rapo's length!'

'Okay! Makes sense to me!! But now what??'

'We gotta make scarf for Rapo! That's what!'

'Too much cotton! Can't do it!'

'Doesn't matter! Try!'

'Scarf needs to cover Rapo's body! But how??'

'I dunno!! Figure it out!'

'Hey! Why are we doing this? He's no Baki!'

'DON'T CARE! Rapo needs to be happy! NO MATTER WHAT!!!'

'...The rapo IS nice, isn't he? Helpful too. You're right! We'll try!'

'That's the spirit! Let's get busy!!!'

###  **Busy Bakis**

A few hours went by. The tiny Baki worked their scarves off to make a scarf for the Raposa boy. While a normal Baki scarf only needed a team of three, this scarf required the labor of most of the Baki Village. Not only was the thing massive and awkward, it took up lots of resources. So much so, that they quickly had to scavenge for more.

While there were plenty of Baki that were happy to help, some of the Baki were starting to question Leo's logic. 'Why should I work this hard just for some Raposa kid?' 'He is nice, but I'M TIRED!' A few of them even gave up and quit the project.

But no matter how hard it was, Leo refused to let Hunter's scarf go unfinished. Cheering the Raposa up was all that mattered to him. Well, that and cheering himself up. That was important too.

###  **Rapo's Return**

Hunter, finished with his walk, felt a little disappointed if not a little tired. "Man, I can't believe there was nothing new to find... I didn't even get to wrap my head around anything. Oh well... Maybe Leo has something fun for me to do..."

As soon as the little Rapo stepped foot into the village, he was greeted by busy Baki rushing to and fro. "Wh... What the?! What's going on?"

A few of the Baki were startled by the sound of Hunter's voice, and scuttled away from him. Some of which ran as fast as they could to tell Leo. "CHEEAAAHH!!" 'Rapo's here! Rapo is here!'

Leo, who was busy watching over the scarf's progress, jumped for joy at the thought of Hunter seeing what they made. 'Already?!' Before heading out to greet the Raposa, Leo took a final look at the giant scarf. '...It looks... odd. Are you sure you did this right?'

'We did our best!! Sorry!'

'…He'll love it! He has to!' Trying not to worry about the scarf, Leo ran outside the hut to search for Hunter. Luckily for him, the Raposa wasn't hard to find. "CHEEE!!" 'Rapo! You're back!' The little leaf baki ran to his friend as fast as he could.

Hunter, alerted by a loud baki chirp, looked up to see Leo running toward him. "Leo!? Oof!" Hunter looked down to see Leo rubbing his head on his leg. Hunter couldn't help but smile. "Oh, Leo. You're funny. Don't worry bud, I missed you too." He crouched down to pet his baki pal.

Leo, as always, began to quickly relax from Hunter's touch. 'Ah! That feels good!' "Chee cheeer..."

"You're such a smart guy. Making me want to treat you like this. …Not that I mind, though!" After giving him an extra pat, Hunter slowly stood back up. "So! What were you up to? You obviously had to be doing SOMETHING while I was gone."

"…Chee?" 'Huh? What? I did something? What did I do again? …Oh yeah!' Leo turned around, and began to march back to where the scarf was. "Cha!! Cha!!" 'Follow me, Rapo!'

"H-hey! Where are you going?! Leo! Wait for me!!!" Hunter rushed to catch up with the little baki.

###  **The Ceremony**

After a minute or two of following Leo, Hunter finally saw where they were headed. "A... house?" It was just like any of the other baki houses in the village, except unlike it's brothers, this building was at least three times the size.

As soon as they were close to the building, Leo immediately ran inside. "Cheeup! Cheeup!!!" 'In here! I'm here!'

"You... want me to go in there?" 'What is he planning?' A tad cautious, Hunter entered the large building. What greeted him was what felt like a million sets of Baki eyes. All of which were staring at him. "Uhh... Hi everyone!"

After a few seconds of silence, the crowd of Baki began to cheer. Or at least, what sounded like the Baki equivalent of cheering.

Hunter looked around him. Everyone appeared to have happy looks on their faces. "What's going on?" He looked down at Leo, who was also cheering with joy. "...Is this some kind of party?"

As if to confirm Hunter's guess, Leo jumped up and down. "Cheeeeeaaaahh!!!" 'Ya!! It's for you!!' He then turned to the Baki crowd and chirped. "Chaa!!" 'Scarf!!'

Commanded by Leo, a wave of orange and blue stripes washed toward the raposa. Set down in front of Hunter's feet was a giant mass of colorful cloth.

"What the? What is this?" He picked it up and took a closer look at it. It was hard to make out what it was at first. It didn't look like anything Hunter had seen before. But then Hunter looked at the stripes on it, and it began to make a little more sense. "Is it... a scarf?" He looked for the ends of the scarf, but despite it's stripes, it didn't much look like a scarf. Upon further inspection, the 'scarf' looked much more like a giant sweater. "Um... Do you want me to wear this?"

The baki just stared back at Hunter, all silently saying 'Yes. We do.'

Hunter looked back at the 'scarf ' he was holding. 'Man… they must've worked really hard on this scarf. I can't just disappoint them! I might as well try it on!' "Okay! Here goes nothin!" 'Now where do I begin?'

It took a little longer than expected, but Hunter managed to find the 'scarf's' neck hole. 'Alright! Now for the sleeves. …Huh? Where are the??' Hunter searched around, but no matter how hard he looked, the sleeves just weren't there. After a while, Hunter gave up on his sleeve search, and let gravity pull the outfit down. The scarf was so long, that a good two or three inches swept the ground.

Moving around in it was a little bit awkward, but it was surprisingly cozy! And the colors... Little did those Baki know, orange was Hunter's favorite color. The fact that it stood out and covered his whole body really made him feel like he was one of the Baki. "This is... Amazing! I... I love it! Thank you so much, guys! I really feel like a real Baki. ...No, I AM a real Baki!" Hunter looked down at Leo, who was staring intently back at him. "You did this, didn't you? You wanted me to feel more welcome! That's what you were planning!"

Leo let out a happy chirp. "Chiirup!" "Yeah!!"

Hunter grinned from ear to ear. "Y'know, I've been thinking... If my sister were here, she'd probably have a hard time coming up with advice. ...But I think that she would want to say something along the lines of 'Don't give up! Just keep moving forward and never look back!' It sounds like something she'd say. At least I think so. And for a while it felt that moving forward would be impossible. And maybe it is. But now, I have a new family to look after me. Suddenly, this place doesn't feel as empty as it used to. And now, I realize that I have another good reason to keep moving forward. Thank you!"

Hunter then turned to the rest of the Baki crowd. "So... Let's party!"


End file.
